A Journey of Turbulent Times
by Happy Camper27
Summary: A deeper, more in depth exploration of the Unova Region from the POV's of the five main characters. With a mind link between Touko and Reshiram along with a mind link between N and Zekrom, what will happen with this very different adventure? Based off of Pokemon Black, R & R please. Long chapters too!
1. Chapter 1

**Ohayo, Minna-san! This is a sort of one-shot/possible story idea that I have. Please tell me if you want me to continue!**

**Final Word Count: 510**

"_Long, Long ago, in a time lost to written history, there lived a King and his two Sons. The King was wise and fair, and ruled over his country and all of the people loved him. His sons were also fair and kind and he loved them dearly, as they loved him. However, one day, the King passed on, and his sons took his place, trying dearly to rule in his place. A great dragon watched over them as a companion until, one day, the brothers began to fight. _

_The dragon separated into two equal and opposite halves. A vast white dragon of fire for the older brother, who sought his Truth of the world, and a deep black dragon of lightning for the younger brother, who sought to have his Ideal of a harmonious world between all creatures. The two dragons fought and fought, but as they were equals in every way, and were once one, neither could overpower the other. The battle ended in a stalemate, neither side able to win. Finally, the two brothers called a truce, saying that both of them were right, and neither of them would prevail._

_However, their sons started the battle again between the two dragons, trying to prove that one of them was stronger. However, in their fervor, the all of the country was destroyed in a storm of fire and lightning._

_Exhausted, the two dragons vanished from history, falling into a deep slumber and transforming into two stones—the Light Stone and the Dark Stone. Their battles fell into history, time transforming history into story, story into myth, and myth into legend._

_However, to this day, mysteries still abound about this tale and the ruins left behind by this ancient country."_

A pulse of energy lashed out from a high tower as, in deep, deep darkness, a pair of red eyes flashed open. A growl rumbled through the darkness. _It had found it's Chosen._

At the same time, a pulse of energy emanated from a buried castle in a desert as, in vast, pure whiteness, a pair of brilliant blue eyes snapped open. A musical, bell-like tone rippled throughout the whiteness. _Its Chosen had been found._

Unaware of their great destinies, two children slept deeply in their cradles, their natural innocence untainted by the world. Their dreams, however, were touched by the calls of their Destined partners, and the two shifted in their sleep.

Far, far away in another dimension, an odd creature watched over its creation, it's green and red eyes focused on the human world. It continued watching, knowing that turbulent times were ahead.

Turbulent times indeed.

**/End.\**

**So, how was it? Should I continue or not?**

**Also, all credit to the correct owners of Pokemon! i do not own anything in this chapter except the idea!**

**Anyway, please R & R!**

**Ja ne, Minna-san**

**~Happy Camper27**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ohayo, Minna-san! Since so far I've gotten a pretty good reply to this story, I'll update it and extend it into a story! Also, all my stories are self-beta'd, so I apologize for any mistakes!**

**Final Word Count: 1,632**

Chapter 1—Growing up, but not out

The earliest Touko could remember was when she was three. She had been dreaming of a vast, white thingy with bright, sky blue eyes. All she could remember was the whiteness and blue eyes, but for some reason it filled her with an odd feeling in her chest. Her Tou-san and Kaa-chan had been packing up the house then, in preparation to move to Nuvema Town, as she was later told.

Her mama had asked what was wrong, and she had told her, admittedly babyishly, about the odd feeling in her chest that felt like there was hole she wanted to fill. Her mama had smiled slightly and patted her head. "It's something called longing, Touko-chan. You want something to fill in that hole," she had said, her pale blue eyes smiling down at her youngest child.

Touko had nodded, not really understanding, but happy to have an explanation. As she grew up, she began to more frequently have the dreams, and once she learned to read and write somewhat coherently, write down her dreams. Eventually, she managed to get a few words remembered from the dreams, but they were broken and incoherent.

She stopped telling her parents about her dreams after they told her that it was childish pretending. Her brother, Touya, often came into her room not long after one of her dreams and would sit with her as she wrote down the dream. One day, she asked him why he would come to her room, and he looked nervous and admitted, "'Cause, I get strange dreams too," Touko had cocked her head at her brother, and had let it go. Instead, she smiled. "Oh! Oyasuminasai, Nii-san,"

"Oyasuminasai, Imouto," Touya had answered, smiling back at her, his warm brown eyes glowing in mirth. When they were seven (Touko) and eight (Touya) respectively, their Tou-san left on a business trip, telling them that he'd be back. He never came back.

This story truly begins when Touko and Touya are eight and nine respectively. They were snuggled into their covers for the night, their Okaa-chan getting ready to tell them a story.

"Now, what do you want to hear tonight, Ko-chan, Ya-kun?"* She asked. "Eto…" Touko mumbled, looking sheepish. "Can we hear the story about the making of Unova? You know the story,"

"Hai, hai! I want to hear that one too!" Touya spoke up, his spiky brown hair lying all helter-skelter. "Okay, I'll tell you the story, Ko-chan, Ya-kun," she took a deep breath before beginning the story, reciting the age-old story that had been told to her since she was young from memory.

"_Long, long ago, in a time lost to written history, there lived a King and his two Sons. The King was wise and fair, and ruled over the country and all of the people loved him. His sons were also fair and kind and he loved them dearly, as they loved him. However, one day, the King passed on, and his sons took his place, trying dearly to rule in his place. A great dragon watched over them as a companion until, one day, the brothers began to fight. _

_The dragon, distressed by their fighting, separated into two equal and opposite halves. A vast, white dragon of fire for the older brother, who sought his Truth of the world; and a deep, black dragon of lightning for the younger brother, who sought to have his Ideal world of a harmonious world between all people. The two dragons fought and fought, but as they were equals in every way, and were once one, neither could overpower the other. The battle ended in a stalemate, neither side able to win. Finally, the brothers called a truce, saying that both of them were right, and neither of them would prevail. _

_However, their sons began the battle again between the two dragons, trying to prove one of them was stronger. However, in their fervor, all of the country was destroyed in a storm of fire and lightning. Exhausted, the two dragons vanished from history, falling into a deep slumber and transforming into two stones—the Light Stone and the Dark Stone. _

_Their battles fell into history, time transforming history to story, story into myth, and myth into legend. However, to this day, mysteries still abound about this tale and the ruins left behind by this ancient country."_

Rei Morioka** smiled as she petted her son and daughter's heads, flattening their hair gently. They didn't know it, but they were incredibly cute, lying there like that. Quietly, she stood, not wanting to wake them up. They were sleeping very deeply, seeing as they had finally managed to convince Rei to let them move into the same room together.

She laughed to herself, enjoying the quiet house. Her darling boy, Touya, would be starting his Pokémon Journey next year, and her dear daughter, Touko, the year after. Shaking her head to clear it, she scooped up the Cinccino that was one of her Pokémon from her Trainer days that now served more as a house pet and guard and stroked its thick, scarf-like, white fur. "Oh, Takara, what am I to do? Yasu is gone, and Ya-kun will be leaving next year! I just don't know what to do!"

The Cinccino, Takara, tried to comfort her trainer, trying to show her support. Rei smiled thinly, trying to keep herself together. Takara tickled her trainer gently, and Rei giggled. "You're right, everything will be fine, Takara! Thank you,"

Takara smiled lightly at her Trainer, and continued to tickle her. "T-takara! Stop! O-oh! He-he-he~!" Rei continued to giggle breathlessly, Takara tickling her mercilessly. They ended up falling asleep on the couch, with Rei lying sprawled on the couch and Takara curled up on top of her.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Since Natural, or N, had been young, he had always been able to hear them. The voices of the Pokémon, hearing them speak where other people only heard them say their names. When his Chichi-ue*** had shown up on his fifth birthday with a small, fox-like Pokémon with black fur and red paws, he had been shocked to hear the Pokémon saying what it did. It had said it was afraid.

He had gently let the Pokémon get used to him until they were inseparable. That was when he asked what it had meant that first day. The Pokémon, a Zorua, had paused, looking slightly sad. _"I meant that my last owner hurt me,"_ N had frowned, looking troubled. "What do you mean?" Zorua shifted. _"He was always pushing me to go harder than I could, and if I didn't, he would get really, really mad and hurt me,"_

N had been so mad that someone had hurt his friend, and so confused as to why someone would hurt a Pokémon, especially Zorua.

As Chichi-ue allowed more Pokémon near him, he made more friends. He was happy, but he soon learned that every one of them had been hurt like Zorua. It was when he was eight, he made up his mind. People were hurting his friends. So Pokémon and people would have to be separated so that no more Pokémon would be hurt.

Determined, he told his Chichi-ue what he intended to do. Chichi-ue looked pleased, and encouraged him, telling him stories of the world outside the castle they lived in. N was happy with his friends and found that while people would lie, Pokémon never lied. His resolve strengthened, and he wished to see his Ideal world come true, working towards it all the while.

Of course, he had weird dreams as well, and told his friends about them. Of deep blackness and bright red eyes. Of a deep, rumbling voice that spoke, but the words he could never remember.

He never told Chichi-ue this, thinking to keep it to himself, and his friends approved. He trusted them completely, and so, Chichi-ue never found out. But he still had them. And the question that he thought of most?

Why.

**/End.\**

**So, that's the second chapter. What do you think? Anyways, all translations are rough and done myself and by use of Google Search, so if I get anything wrong, tell me, ne?**

*** nicknames for Touko and Touya, kinda like how Nana from KHR calls Tsuna 'Tsu-kun'.**

**** I couldn't find anything on Touko's mom (or dad) or their last name, so I went to a name generator and used that.**

*****I think it means 'respected father' in Japanese.**

**Translations:**

**Tou-san—father or dad in Japanese, more familiar and casual**

**Kaa-chan—mother or mom in Japanese, more familiar and casual**

**Oyasuminasai—good night**

**Aniki—older brother (edited to Nii-san on 5/17/13)**

**Imouto—little sister**

**Hai—yes**

**Okaa-chan—same as Kaa-chan, just more formal**

**Name Translations:**

**Rei—means 'bell' or 'lovely' in Japanese**

**Morioka—means 'forest hill' or 'prosperous hill'. Mostly found in western Japan and the island of Okinawa**

**Takara—means 'treasure' in Japanese**

**Yasu—means 'peaceful', 'peace', or 'level' in Japanese**

**Well, hope you liked, and for those who are waiting of Seer of the Varia, it should be out in the next week or so, given I can work past my homework!**

**R & R, please!**

**Ja ne, Minna-san!**

**~Happy Camper27**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ohayo, Minna-san! Here's the next chapter of ****A Journey of Turbulent Times!**** Hope you like!**

**Final Word Count: 1,731**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. Not Pokémon, and certainly not the poem. **

Chapter 2—Friends and Departure

_(Laughter is the cure)_

Touko looked sadly at Touya, tugging gently at his jacket sleeve. "You'll be careful, right Nii-san?" she asked, trying to keep her worry off her face. It obviously didn't work because Touya hugged her tightly, mumbling into her ear. "I'll be fine, Imouto. Don't worry," Touko grinned, and laughed softly. "Yeah right, Nii-san. You find more trouble than a Liepard in room full of rocking chairs!" Touya huffed and let her go. "I don't find trouble, Imouto! Trouble finds me!" Touko giggled. "And it finds you too, or have you forgotten what happened two months back?"

"Trouble found me! How was I supposed to know that there was a boundary as to how far we could go?" Touya rolled his eyes. "There were yellow strips of cloth tied around tree trunks, Imouto. If you had paid attention, you would have known that!" Touko huffed and pouted, before the two of them cracked up, laughing uproariously.

_(For mental aches and pains.)_

"So, are we allowed to know what's so funny?" a voice rang out, amusement heavy in the tone. They turned to see a boy with blue-black hair wearing a blue dress-jacket thingy and glasses watching them beside a girl with short blonde hair wearing a green hat, a white dress*, and an orange top over the dress. "Nope!" Touko said, sticking her tongue out at the two. "You'll have to find out on your own, Cheren, Bianca!"

The boy, Cheren, looked at Touya with something very akin to envy in his eyes. "I wish I could start my Journey," he said quietly, staring silently. "But we'll be starting next year!" the girl, Bianca exclaimed, her bright green eyes happy. "And we'll all be starting together, instead of alone! Won't that be great, Cheren?"

Cheren nodded, but there was still an envious look in his eyes. He tightened the tie around his neck before pushing his glasses up. "What starter did you choose, Black?" Touko winced at the nickname. She _hated_ being called White while her brother was Black. It may have made life easier, but she hated it, as did her brother. They left it though, as they couldn't get anyone to stop calling them that, though not for lack of trying. She dearly loved Cheren and Biance (in a totally platonic, non-romantic way), but she wished they wouldn't call her and Touya by the nicknames. She smiled broadly, covering up the wince before anyone could notice. After all, you are what you pretend to be, right?

_(How strange it is that some of us)_

Touya looked sadly at his sister before taking his first steps onto Route 1. Breathing deeply, he felt a rush of exhilaration. He had said his goodbyes to his family, a sadness in and of itself, but now…now he was _free_. All of a sudden, he felt chains he didn't even know had been holding him release.

Laughing, he let out his starter, an Oshawott that he had nicknamed Isamu. "Osha?" Touya grinned. "We're heading off on our Journey, Isamu!" he held out his arm. "I'm Touya!" Isamu cried out cheerfully, jumping into his arms and taking up residence on his shoulder. "Osha osha!"

Laughing, the two took their first steps of their Journey. They had a long road ahead, but somehow, Touya knew; if they could just keep laughing, they would be fine.

They had to be.

_(So rigidly abstain.)_

Despite what some thought, Bianca wasn't _that_ dense. Sure, she could be a bit oblivious, but she wasn't dense by any stretch of the imagination. She had seen Touko wince when Cheren called Touya 'Black'. She could see now that both siblings hated their bestowed nicknames, thinking back upon the instances upon which they were called by them. Setting her jaw as she watched Touko, she vowed to herself that she would do her very best to make sure that Touko would have someone to buoy her up when she felt down. After all, if it wasn't for Touko, she and Cheren would most likely be acquaintances at best, and be bitter enemies at worst. She was flighty and scatter-brained, but she worked hard to try and be better, she knew that. She was far too honest with herself to say anything different. And Cheren was…difficult, to say the least. He was determined and strong, but stubborn. She and Cheren were nearly polar opposites, but Touko…

Touko was their middle ground. She was both determined and strong, but also hardworking and honest with most things. She could be stubborn, but when she was, she was more brittle than thin ice. Bianca nodded to herself. No matter what, she would support her friends. Always.

_(It should be a habit.)_

Cheren couldn't help the twinge of envy he felt as he looked at Black. _'so near, yet so far,'_ he thought, thinking of his own Journey, due to start next year. Trying to push back the envy he felt, he questioned Black on his starter. "What starter did you choose, Black?" Black grinned and settled his hat more firmly on his head, the red and black seeming to glow in the sunlight.

"Me? I chose Oshawott!" Cheren felt his eyes narrow. _'Oshawott, a Water type. Weak against Grass types and strong against Fire types…hm…'_

Pushing up his glasses, Cheren let light shine off his them, effectively hiding his eyes. "Ah, I see," Black just rolled his eyes. "Hai, hai, Cheren-chan," Cheren glared at him. "Don't. Call. Me. Chan!" he gritted out through clenched teeth.

It was then, as they argued that Cheren came to a conclusion. He _would not_ fall behind Black, just as he _would not_ fall behind White or Bianca when they started their Journey. He would pursue strength, and he would be strong enough to become Champion, his life-long dream. He would be the strongest in all of Unova, surpassing all before him in his strength. After all, strength was what governed the world. The strong thrived while the weak fell by the wayside. That was what his father had told him since he was young. So, firmly believing this, he watched as Black walked confidently out onto Route 1. He ignored the stirring of envy still in his chest. After all, if he was going to be the strongest, he couldn't envy anyone. He would never envy anyone again. Clenching his teeth, he stared after Black. If he was honest with himself, he would be asking himself something. _"Why can't I be that confident?"_

_(Let it often be indulged!)_

N watched happily as his friends played together, oftentimes dragging him into it by the scruff of his neck. Giggling as Zorua leapt onto his head, nestling down in his hair, he let himself be whirled around by his friends playing Tag.

He could feel happiness shimmering around them, present on their faces as pure joy. _"Hey, N?"_

He looked up at Zorua, careful to not move his head too much. "Yes?" Zorua looked at him with clear teal eyes. _"Are you sure about leaving?"_ N smiled at his friend. "If I don't, how am I to make sure no more Pokémon are hurt?" he asked, his smile bright. Zorua nodded, nestling down deeper into his pale green hair. _"So you are sure…"_

N nodded slightly. "Yes, Zorua," he said, sliding down against a tree**. _"Then I'll go with you! I'll accompany you everywhere you go, N!" _Zorua exclaimed, nuzzling his head. "Are _you_ sure?" N asked, worry coloring his tone. _"Yes, N! Don't try and change my mind about this!"_

N winced. "I wasn't about to, Zorua. I just…you hated the outside world before, so I wanted to know if you were truly sure," Zorua nuzzled his ear. _"I'm sorry, N. But I'm dead set on this. I'm coming with you if it's the last thing I do!" _N smiled as he wondered at the loyalty of his friend. "Thank you, Zorua."

Laughing, the two watched as the other Pokemon played about, enjoying the warmth of the summer day.

_(The aches and pains of living)_

An equine-like, white creature watched as three of the Chosen continued with their lives, taking their first steps on their paths, Destiny guiding their footsteps. Sadness whispered in its heart, pain that these human children would be without a choice in their paths. Forced by an inborn sense of duty and longing towards that which they had been chosen by to confront their fears, and accept their Destinies.

Sighing silently, it turned away from its contemplation. No one should have to endure what those three would undoubtedly experience. But then again, they truly had no choice, lest the human realm fall to pieces—and the other realms with it.

_(Must often be annulled.) _

**/End.\**

**So, what do you think? Anyway, the entirety of the poem in the chapter is as follows:**

_**Laughter is the cure**_

_**For mental aches and pains.**_

_**How strange it is that some of us**_

_**So rigidly abstain.**_

_**It should be a habit.**_

_**Let it often be indulged!**_

_**The aches and pains of living**_

_**Must often be annulled.**_

**It's written by John L. Clubb, and I **_**so**_** do not own this poem, as I am far from a poet. I hope you guys liked this, and next chapter should show Touko, Bianca, and Cheren receiving their starters. Also, I think that unless I get hit by sudden inspiration, updates will be alternating with SotV being updated, then AJoTT. **

*** I think it is anyway. If I'm wrong, let me know!**

****The opening sequence of Pokémon Black and White shows N in the forest, so I used that.**

**Translations:**

**Isamu—"courage", "bravery" in Japanese**

**Hai—yes**

**Aniki—older brother (edited to Nii-san on 5/17/13)**

**Imouto—little sister**

**Again, I'll say it. I've translated these all myself with the help of Google Search and Google Translate. The name (Isamu) came from a name generator/baby name site. So if I got it wrong, tell me!**

**Anyway, this will most likely be written from five points of view, five different ways of thinking, and five different threads of the plot being woven together. So please, be patient!**

**Ja ne, Minna-san!**

**~Happy Camper27**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ohayo, Minna-san! Here's the next update for AJoTT! Sorry I haven't updated SotV yet, but that one [should] be updated next. Also, here's a quick warning:**

**When I wrote about N, I had not played Pokémon Black and White 2 yet.**

**While I had not played it when I wrote those parts, I do not intend on changing them except for one crucial thing (that will probably not come into play until many chapters after this): N **_**thinks**_** Ghetsis is his father and will act accordingly. The Goddesses (Anthea and Concordia) know the truth along with the Shadow Triad. **

**Also, real quick question. Does anyone know how Ghetsis saved the Shadow Triad's lives? I haven't played all the way through Pokémon White 2 yet, so I don't know if it tells you in the game or not.**

**Anyway, on to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, no matter how much I wish to. Anything you recognize I do not own. **

**Final Word Count: 4,410**

Chapter 3—Birthday Presents and Get-togethers

Touko was very nearly bursting with excitement. Today, she, Cheren, and Bianca turned ten years old. Today, they would receive their very first Pokémon, like her brother had last year. She was waiting for Cheren and Bianca as the package/gift box was waiting for them in her room, and it was only fair that they chose their starters at the same time.

One of her mother's old Pokémon (Rei still had all six of her old team with her, they helped out around the house and helped guard it while allowing Touko, Touya, Cheren, and Bianca to become used to the presence of Pokémon around them), a Cinccino nicknamed Takara sat on her lap as she sat on the couch, fairly bouncing with energy. "Touko, why don't you go outside? I can barely think with your bouncing around," her mother called from the kitchen, where she and her Cofagrigus, Ling*, were cooking. Surprisingly, although the Ghost-type had (sort of) insubstantial hands, it was very good at cooking and often helped her mom.

"Okay!" Touko called back, and Takara jumped off her lap, running to the door chittering. Giggling, Touko opened the door and let Takara out, knowing the Cinccino would come back, and looked up before jumping back with a yelp. Before her, with his hand raised as though about to knock on the door stood Cheren, a slightly stunned expression on his face. "Aah! Gomenasai, Cheren!" she said standing aside so that he could enter.

He pushed up his glasses, quickly regaining his composure. "It's fine, White," Touko wrinkled her nose. "You see Bianca on your way here?" she asked, walking towards the stairs up to her room. "No. I think she's still at home, probably arguing with her dad. From what I can tell, he really doesn't want her to come with us."

Touko nodded, pushing a curl of brown hair behind her ear. It worried her, the way Bianca and her father argued. They shouldn't, not really. Family was, well, family. You weren't supposed to argue the way Bianca and her father argued. Worry gnawed at her, and she firmly pushed it away. There was nothing she could do for now, and that was final.

Nearly tripping on the last step up to her room, they went in. "So, which one of the starters have you been thinking of?" Touko asked Cheren, her blue eyes watching him closely. Cheren frowned. "Tepig,"

Touko grinned. "Really? That's awesome!" Cheren merely pushed his glasses up, frowning still. "If you say so, White,"

Touko barely repressed a wince at the nickname. She hated it with a passion, but she simply couldn't get Cheren to stop calling her by it. Irritation rippled through her. _'Why? Why do they always call me that?'_ she thought, flopping backwards onto her bed. Cheren twitched. "I know Bianca is always slow, but today is the most important day of our lives to date!"** He snapped, his blue-black eyes narrowing. As he said this, Touko heard the door opening and closing, and someone coming up the stairs. Cheren tapped his foot impatiently, staring intently at the package/gift box on the table. Just then, Touko's bedroom door opened. "I'm so-o-o-o sorry I'm late guys!" Bianca said lightly, her grass-green eyes shining.

Cheren huffed. "Seriously, Bianca! I know that you're usually late, but today is the most important day of our lives!" Touko noticed Bianca wince at that, and decided to intervene before they got into one of their 'famous' arguments. "It's all right, Cheren. We weren't waiting for all that long," she said, sitting up. "Yeah!" Bianca said, brightening up.

Before long, they were all standing in front of the package/gift box. "Since the box was delivered to White's house, she get's first pick," Cheren said. "Of course!" Bianca piped. "Now, hurry up! I want to meet the Pokémon right now!" Cheren said intensely, staring hard at the box. Touko stepped forward and picked up the note on top.

"_Inside this box are three Pokémon, one for each of you. They will be your 'starter Pokémon' for your Journey. Please choose without fighting amongst yourselves."_ Touko read out, reading the curvy, fancy script. She put the note to one side and lifted off the top of the box. Inside, there were three Pokéballs. She lifted them out and tossed them up into the air. "Come on out!" the Pokéballs opened, and blue light escaped them, leaving three Pokémon standing in the room with Touko holding their Pokéballs. On the right as they faced the Pokémon was a red and black Pokémon with a curly-cue tail. It snorted, letting out smoke. "Tepig!" it said, eyeing them closely. The one in the middle was a green, white, and yellow Pokémon with amber eyes. It looked at them almost arrogantly, very much aloof. "Snivy," it said, turning away from the red and black Pokémon. The one on the left was a white-headed, blue-bodied Pokémon with a scalchop on its belly. It lifted the scalchop in the air, looking at them excitedly. "Osha osha!"

Touko silently identified the three Pokémon. The red and black Pokémon was Tepig, the fire pig Pokémon. The green, white, and yellow Pokémon was Snivy, the grass snake Pokémon. The white-headed, blue-bodied Pokémon was an Oshawott, the sea-otter Pokémon.

Touko examined them all, trying to decide. They were all likely, and in her eyes very much equal. However, she thought of her brother, Touya. He had chosen a water-type, Oshawott. Her eyes hardened with determination as she chose Snivy's Pokéball. "Snivy," was all she said, lightly picking up the Pokémon. Bianca rushed forward, and picked up the Oshawott. "Well, I choose this little cutie! And Cheren, you get that one," Cheren huffed. "Why do you get to choose for me? Well, no matter, I wanted Tepig from the start,"

Touko tried not to giggle at Cheren's annoyed look—she couldn't help it! He just looked more like he was pouting rather than glaring!

Bianca turned to her. "Hey, hey! I just had an idea! Why don't we have a Pokémon battle?" Cheren looked at her rather weirdly. "Bianca, we're still inside. You don't have a Pokémon battle inside, even if these ones are still rather weak," Tepig snorted from its place on Cheren's shoulder, as though in agreement. _'Those two are very alike,'_ Touko thought in wonder, looking at the two. "It's alright! Besides, these little ones are still weak, like you said! We need to battle to get them stronger!" Cheren sighed, and moved to the side. "Very well, I'll referee," he said.

Bianca grinned, and Oshawott leapt forward, despite it's rather clumsy walk. "Osha!" Touko laughed and let Snivy down from its place in her arms. They stood across from each other, and suddenly Touko spoke.

(Begin Battle Sequence)

"Snivy, use _Leer_!" suddenly, a glint came into Snivy's eyes and it leered at Oshawott. Oshawott cowered slightly. "Oshawott! Use _Tackle_!" Oshawott leapt forward. "Snivy, dodge it and use _Tackle_ as well!" Snivy dodged out of the way, leaping backwards and upwards. It spun slightly, and pushed off the wall, slamming into Oshawott. Oshawott staggered, skidding back towards Bianca. "Oshawott! Are you okay?" Bianca asked. "Osha!"

Snivy looked coolly at Oshawott, as though daring it to come forward. "Oshawott! Use _Tail Whip_!" Bianca cried. Oshawott did a weird sort of spinning dance-y thingy, and Snivy and Touko just looked at it. "Osha!"

"Now, Oshawott! Use _Tackle_!" while they were distracted, Oshawott slammed into Snivy, knocking Snivy backwards. "Snivy! Use _Leer_ one more time!" Touko cried. Snivy did, and Oshawott cowered again, intimidated by Snivy. "Now Snivy! Use _Tackle_!" Snivy slammed into Oshawott, and Oshawott toppled backwards into the desk behind Bianca. Its eyes had become swirly, signifying that it had been _Knocked_ _Out_.

(End Battle Sequence)

"Ah! You're really good at this, Touko!" Bianca said, looking at Touko as she picked up Oshawott. "Uh, Bianca…look at the room," Cheren said. Bianca and Touko looked around. There were footprints everywhere—on the walls, the floors, even on the bed—and the pictures were knocked askew, the carpet rumpled up, and the bed completely a mess.

"Ehehehe," Bianca said, sweatdropping. Touko sighed heavily, thinking of all the cleaning she would have to do. "Hey! Cheren, why don't you battle Touko? I'm sure you can do it without making the room any messier!" Bianca said, looking at him. Cheren smirked. "You're right, I think I can. But first…" he walked up to Bianca and pulled out a small packet of powder. "This is medicine, it'll heal Oshawott," he said, pouring some of the powder into Oshawott's mouth. Oshawott almost instantly woke up, coughing. Cheren walked over to Touko. "Here, you too," he said and gave some to Snivy. Snivy sputtered at the taste, but swallowed it. "What does it taste like to make them dislike it like that?" Touko asked, looking slightly worried. "It's very, very bitter," Cheren replied, and Touko grimaced. "Ah,"

Putting the now empty packet into his jacket pocket, Tepig leapt off Cheren's shoulder. "Te_pig_!" Touko glanced at Snivy, who was once again in her arms. "You up to it?" she asked it. "Snivy," it said, nodding. Touko let it down, and now she and Cheren stood across from each other. "I'll be referee!" Bianca said, pulling down on her hat.

"My first battle…it all starts from here!" Cheren said.

(Begin Battle Sequence)

"Tepig! Use _Tackle_!" Tepig charged forward. "Snivy, dodge it!" but Snivy was a little too slow, and got caught by Tepig's _Tackle_. Snivy was thrown backwards. "Snivy! Use the wall to push off of and use _Tackle_!" Touko cried. "Sni_vy_!" Snivy spun like a wheel, landing with its feet on the wall and pushed off. The _Tackle_ combined with the push off caused Tepig, when hit by it, to be knocked off its feet and hit the wall, landing on the bed. "Tepig! Snap out of it and use run at Snivy while zigzagging!" Cheren said. Tepig leapt to its feet, eyes blazing. "Tepig!" it ran at Snivy, zigzagging so that Snivy couldn't really dodge. "Now! Use _Tackle_!"

"Snivy! Meet it with _Leer_!" Snivy tried to use the move, but was hit by Tepig instead. Down on the floor, Snivy moved with difficulty. "Snivy! Are you alright?" Touko cried. Struggling to its feet, Snivy looked determinedly at Tepig. "_Snivy_!" Touko nodded. "Alright! Use _Leer_ again!" Snivy _Leer_ed at Tepig, and for the first time since the start of the battle, Tepig cowered, its fierce nature curbed by its fear. "Now! Use _Tackle_!" Touko cried. Caught off guard, Cheren cried, "Meet it with _Tackle_, Tepig!" the two clashed. Both landed in heaps on the floor. "Snivy!" "Tepig!" they both cried. They both rushed to their Pokémon, both with swirly eyes. Both were _Knocked Out_. It was a draw between Touko and Cheren.

(End Battle Sequence)

Cheren gathered Tepig up in his arms, pulling out another packet of the powder. He opened it and poured a little into Tepig's mouth, and it woke, sputtering and complaining—nearly singeing Cheren's eyebrows in the process.

Cheren set Tepig on his shoulder and passed Touko the packet, careful not to spill the powder. Touko gave some to Snivy (who was not impressed at being force-fed the vile substance), and Snivy woke up immediately, and opted to sit on Touko's head (and hat), instead of sit in her arms.

"Hmm…I made an odd mistake for my first battle, but still," Cheren murmured. "I'll definitely become the strongest at this rate." Tepig evidently agreed with this, as it blew another bit of fire out its nose. "Come on!" Bianca said. "We've got to apologize to your Mom, Touko!" Cheren nodded, and the two of them headed downstairs. Touko shook her head as she followed, Snivy perched on her head. Her friends really _were_ opposites, even in their battling styles.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Touko sighed with relief as she walked to Bianca's house. She was very lucky that today was her birthday. Her mom was cleaning up her room for her! (Personally, that was a first to Touko; she was prepared to do it herself)

Snivy was still perched on her head, obviously enjoying the warm summer sunlight. Touko approached the front door of Bianca's house and knocked. "I'm coming in," she called, letting them know she was coming in.

Touko was greeted by Bianca's mother, Natalia, in the hallway. "Shh," Natalia said softly, pressing a finger to her lips. "They're fighting again,"

Touko winced. That explained it. In the living room, Bianca and her father, Paul, were standing across from each other. Paul's face was red/pink and Bianca was obviously distressed. Paul stepped forward, raising his voice. "No, no, no, no, no! For the last time, NO!" Bianca set her jaw. "B-but, I've got a Pokémon and everything! I can totally go on an adventure!" she tugged on her hat, nearly glaring at her father.

With that, she turned away, towards Natalia and Touko. Natalia moved towards Paul, restraining him with a few words and a hand on his shoulder. Once they were outside, Touko touched Bianca's shoulder. "You alright?" Bianca nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," shifting uncomfortably, she looked around. "H-hey, we should go see Professor Juniper, y'know?" she said, and raced off towards the lab. Touko frowned; worry once again gnawing at her. Sighing, she headed off to the lab.

As she approached, she saw both Cheren and Bianca waiting outside the door. Cheren turned. "Come on," he said, walking in with Bianca. Touko very nearly growled. She was still excited, but really! She had been running after _Bianca_ for Arceus' sake!

She rolled her eyes and walked in.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Professor Juniper stood in front of them, her eyes shining. "Ah! What's this? You've already had a Pokémon battle?" she asked, looking at the three of them. Bianca shifted, still feeling a bit guilty about that. She hadn't thought that they would trash up the room _that_ much!

Professor Juniper smiled at them. "Well, would you like to nickname your new Pokémon?" she asked. Bianca shook her head, as did Cheren, but Touko spoke up. "I would like to," Professor Juniper looked at her. "Alright, what would you like to nickname your Snivy?" Touko frowned. Bianca watched. She knew that while her Oshawott and Cheren's Tepig were male, Touko's Snivy was female. So what would be the nickname?

Touko looked up with a grin. "Maiara!" Professor Juniper nodded. "Alright then! Now, I'll meet you at Route 1," with that, Professor Juniper swept out of the lab, her lab coat fluttering behind her. All three of them looked after her, and Bianca felt the tell-tale signs of her usual, hyper energy flickering in her limbs. She turned to Touko. "So, Touko, what are you and Maiara going to do now?" she asked, gesturing at the Snivy perched on Touko's head.

'_Why isn't Maiara in her Pokéball?'_ Bianca wondered briefly as Touko answered. "We're going to Route 1, of course!" Cheren rolled his eyes. "Naturally, White," he drawled, pushing up his glasses once again. Bianca very nearly bristled. Touko did _not_ deserve to be treated that way!

But Touko just laughed it off, barely even reacting to the mention of her hated nickname. Bianca followed her out of the lab, only to see Touko facing Rei, her mother. "Ah, I can't believe it!" Rei said lightly, smiling at Maiara. "You have your Pokémon now~!"

Bianca stepped up so that she stood by Touko. "Yes, Mrs. Morioka," she said. Rei waved her hand flippantly. Takara, Rei's Cinccino, was standing by her feet. "Call me Rei, Bianca! And actually, yes, I can believe it. You see, me, Natalia, and Luce arranged it all so that you guys to go see the world!" Bianca noticed the Cheren shifted uncomfortably at the mention of his mother, Luce.

Rei pulled out a blue laptop-thingy with a yellow/cream-ish top. "This is a Town Map. Here, Touko!" she handed it to her daughter, who placed it in her bag. "And one for you, Cheren," she handed another to Cheren, "and one for you, Bianca!"

"Arigatou, Rei!" Bianca said, a happy bubble growing in her chest. "It's nothing, nothing!" Rei said flippantly. Bianca, Cheren, and Touko all sweatdropped. _'Really?'_ was all that was running through Bianca's head at that moment. "Ah, yes. Arigatou, Mrs. Morioka," Cheren said, recovering quickly.

Rei looked at them, her blue eyes shining. "Well, I hope you do well. And don't forget to call home once in a while!" she pulled out a pink Xtransceiver. "You forgot this, Touko," she said, handing it to her daughter. Touko went pink. "Aa, gomen Kaa-chan," she said, ducking her head in embarrassment as she put it on her wrist. "Quite alright," Rei said.

"Now, go see the world!" Rei said, turning and walking off. Cheren looked at Bianca and Touko. "I'm going to Route 1. I'll see you there," Bianca patted Touko's shoulder. "I'm headed there too! Come on!" she said, rushing off. She didn't wait to see if Touko was following—she knew that Touko would come. After all, she trusted Touko absolutely. And she always would.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Cheren tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for one of his best friends to arrive. White wasn't there yet, and Bianca was talking lightly. She had stopped him from going onto Route 1, saying that if they were leaving Nuvema Town, they should take their first steps together. While it irritated him, he saw the logic. They were friends—and friends stuck together. (A small part of his mind, the part that only wanted the power to defeat his father, protested at that, remembering what his father had told him once—"Friends will only drag you down, Cheren,". Personally, he didn't believe that.)

Finally, White arrived. "Sorry, had to go make sure I had everything!" she panted, running up to them. Cheren nodded. "Come on! Come on! Let's go!" Bianca said, grabbing White's arm. "Huh?" she said eloquently. "Bianca thinks that we should take our first steps onto Route 1 together, White," Cheren said calmly. Suddenly, he felt his arm being taken. He stumbled, and glared at White. "What are you doing?" he asked, frowning. "Jeez, Cheren! If Bianca's got my arm, I get your arm!" she said, grinning at him. Cheren sighed. "If you say so."

White stuck her tongue out at him. "I do say so, so there!" he twitched. "Okay!" Bianca said. "On three! One…" White joined in, "Two…" at a nudge from White, Cheren joined in. "Three!"

Walking forward, they finally took their first steps into the outside world. Bianca twirled around, letting go of White's arm. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "It feels…"

"Incredible!" White chipped in. "Yeah!" Cheren nodded. It did indeed feel incredible—like they had been caged all their lives, and now they were finally free. An inexplicable euphoria spread through him, making him want to whoop with joy. Barely restraining himself, he walked forward towards where he could see Professor Juniper waiting for them. White and Bianca caught up, and White slapped him over the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for?!" he asked, rubbing the back of his head. "For not waiting!" White snapped, pouting at him. Cheren rolled his eyes. She could be so _childish_.

Professor Juniper turned around once they got near her. "Ah! You're here!" she said. Cheren felt his eye twitch. _'Obviously,'_ he thought sarcastically. "Now, I'll show you how to catch a Pokémon! Watch closely!" Professor Juniper walked into the tall grass, and they followed.

Before long, she saw a Patrat—a short, brown and white Pokémon with red and yellow-striped eyes—and sent out her Minccino—a silvery-gray Pokémon with gray eyes and a fluffy tail. Pulling out his Pokédex, he scanned it over the Patrat.

"_**Patrat—the Scout Pokémon. Using food stored in cheek pouches, they can keep watch for days. They use their tails to communicate with others."**_ *** His Pokédex said, and he switched it over to the Minccino.

"_**Minccino—the Chinchilla Pokémon. They greet each other by rubbing each other with their tails, which are always kept well groomed and clean." **_**** Cheren nodded, placing his Pokédex back in his bag. "So Patrat and Minccino…"

(Begin Battle Sequence)

"Minccino! Use _Pound_!" Minccino leapt upwards and slammed downwards with its tail, and the Patrat cried out in pain. "Now! Use _Pound_ again!" Minccino whipped its tail around again, but the Patrat dodged and used _Scratch_. It caught Minccino's ear, and Minccino hissed at Patrat. "Minccino! Use _Pound_ one more time!" Professor Juniper cried. Minccino managed to hit Patrat this time, hitting it in the belly area. Patrat was flung backwards and once the dust cleared, they saw that it's eyes were swirly—indicating that it had been _K.O.'d_.

Professor Juniper retrieved a red and white ball from her bag—a Pokéball—and threw it at the Patrat. It hit the Patrat and bounced up into the air, opening. A blue light escaped the Pokéball and engulfed the Patrat. The Pokéball closed once the light had returned to it, and it fell to the ground where the Patrat had been. It rocked, once…twice…thrice…and it clicked, signaling that the Patrat had been caught.

(End Battle Sequence)

Professor Juniper turned back to them, her green eyes sparkling. "And that's how you catch a Pokémon! So just for review, you lower the HP of the Pokémon, and inflicting a status ailment—like Paralysis or Poison—will make it easier to catch. After all, a healthy Pokémon is hard to catch. Then, you throw the Pokéball!" Cheren nodded. "Well, good luck! And as a final gift, I'll give you these!" she gave Cheren five Pokéballs in there miniaturized form. "Press the button in the middle to make them grow, and then throw 'em!" she said, giving five to White and Bianca each as well.

"Now, I'm going on to Accumula Town! Meet me at the Pokémon Center there!" Professor said, walking off. They were quiet for a moment. "Well, I'm off to Accumula Town," he announced. Bianca suddenly spoke up as he walked off. "Hey! Wait!" Cheren turned back to her. "What?" he noticed the White also looked rather curious. "I've got a great idea! We'll play a game!" Cheren raised an eyebrow. "A game."

"Listen, listen! Whoever has the most Pokémon, including their starter, by the time we all get to Accumula Town wins!" Cheren nodded thoughtfully. "Very well, it'll help fill up the Pokédex for Professor Juniper as well. I'm in," he said.

White nodded. "Me too!" Bianca giggled. "Great! I'm going to be the winner!" she said, running off. "No, it'll be me," Cheren disagreed, moving off after her, leaving White behind. He gripped Tepig's Pokéball tightly. He _would_ win, he was sure of it.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

N looked around, with Zorua perched on his head. Zorua had opted to stay out of his battles for the moment, training on his own. He smiled down at the [blasted] Pokéball that held one of his newest friends—a Purrloin.

Looking around the mellow, cheerful town known as Accumula Town, he couldn't help but smile slightly. It was very peaceful here, and if it weren't for the enslaved Pokémon it would be very nearly perfect. N shook his head, looking around. The team he and Chichi-ue had founded, Team Plasma, was gathering on Route 2, waiting for Chichi-ue to be ready to make his speech in Accumula Town Square.

Nodding determinedly, he couldn't help but remember the dream he had had the previous night. Glowing red eyes in the blackness, and a deep, rumbling and approving growl thrumming around him. Fragments of sentences, and an image of a kindly old man with a gray shape behind him. Shivering, he pushed it to the back of his mind. It wasn't important. He was sure of it.

Besides, he had no time for it. If he was to become one of the Legendary Heroes, he had to become stronger to befriend the legendary dragon in order to free Pokémon from the tyrannical rule of Trainers and people in general.

He was sure.

**/End.\**

**So, how was it? I think that was the longest chapter in this story yet. Be looking forward to mostly longer chapters in this story! **

**Anyway, SotV **_**will**_** be updated next, just to let you know. **

***I'm going to be using several different languages for this, not just Japanese, so I **_**will**_** specify in the translations what the language is.**

****I couldn't find exactly what he said online, and I didn't feel like replaying the game again, so I went by memory—things will be a bit different as a result.**

*****Patrat's Pokémon Black Pokédex Entry off of **

******Minccino's Pokémon Black Pokédex Entry off of **

**Translations:**

**Arigatou—thank you in Japanese**

**Gomen/Gomenasai—I'm sorry in Japanese**

**Name Translations:**

**Ling—means 'spirit, soul' or 'bell, chime' in Chinese**

**Maiara—means 'wise' in Tupí, a Native American language**

**Natalia—derived from the Late Latin **_**Natalia**_** meaning 'Christmas Day'. Usages: Polish, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Late Roman**

**There you go! Also, Cheren's semi-P.O.V calls Touko by the nickname White. I'm just doing this because in the beginning of the game, to me, Cheren can seem a bit like a dense jerk—while smart, he seems really, really dense to me. Don't worry, this part of the story will eventually be resolved.**

**Ja ne, Minna-san!**

**~Happy Camper27**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ohayo, Minna-san! Here's the next chapter of AJoTT. Also, to all my reviewers, THANK YOU! This is only my second fanfic, and your words of encouragement make it all the easier to continue with my stories. **

**Here, I hope to go into a little more detail for the connection between Reshiram and Touko, and have the trio reach Accumula. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokémon, I wouldn't be writing **_**fan**_**fiction, now would I?**

**Final Word Count: 2,574**

Chapter 4—Training and First Encounters

Touko walked along, reveling in the feeling of freedom that her travels brought her. She breathed in the fresh air, allowing it to intoxicate her. "Ne, I wonder if this was how Aniki felt like, Maiara," she said, reaching up to stroke the Snivy perched comfortably on her head.

Maiara simply coiled more snugly around her head, letting loose a soft coo of contentment. Touko laughed, gently rubbing Maiara's head as they walked, heading in the general direction of Accumula Town. After all, they had all the time in the world; why rush?

Soon, it was noon, and Touko's belly growled, complaining. She felt rather sheepish, and pulled out one of the things her mom had given her, saying she would regret not taking it. It was a small baggie with a sandwich, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Touko grinned, feeling rather dumb for forgetting food.

She looked around, and chose a nice, large, and shady tree to sit under, leaning back with a smile on her face as she opened up the baggie. Maiara simply sat, coiled, on her head, enjoying the warm summer morning.

As she ate, Touko felt the euphoria that being a Trainer, finally, had brought on, wear off. It left her sleepy and lethargic. She gently moved Maiara down to her lap, and settled back, letting the warm sun bathe her face. She smiled, letting her mind simply wander, and soon enough, the warm arms of sleep welcomed her—embracing her in soft, comfortable darkness.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Flames surrounded them. Lightning crackled, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. A great, giant white shape was under her, facing a black shape with another on its back. The shape suddenly took a sharp turn upwards, and they flew incredibly fast, clearing the clouds in a smooth spiral. The black shape followed, electricity crackling on its body, covering it. The black shape, now completely covered in lightning, flew at them at an incredible speed, attacking. The white shape underneath her swerved gracefully out of the way, and she could hear a fragment of words, seemingly coming from her lips. "F…on…re!" _

_Fire gathered in a sphere in front of the white shape's mouth, the heat strangely not affecting her. As the fireball was sent viciously at the black shape, she smelt the scent of ozone and smoke. However, she was unable to look away as she, carried on the white shape's back, and her opponent, carried on the black shape's back, flew at each other, fire and lightning meeting in a fierce clash. She tried, oh she tried, to scream at them to _stop_, to stop fighting!_

_But her mouth wouldn't work, and as they collided, she once more smelt the scent of ozone and smoke, mixed together like the fire and lightning around her._

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;

Touko sat up, breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide, and she fumbled for her bag. Tremulously, she drew out her dream journal, and began to write. The adrenaline and terror that had been with her in her dream made her fingers clumsy as she wrote, but she didn't care. Scared. She was scared. That dream was far, far more vivid and…realistic than her past dreams. It scared her; the fire and lightning swirling like storm clouds or whirlpools, the terrible rage that had seemed to fill both her and the white shape…

Breathing deeply, trying to regain her composure, she felt Maiara jump up onto her head and coil snugly. She smiled faintly, understanding that Maiara, in her own way, was trying to give her comfort. "Come on," she said, gathering up her things and standing on shaky legs. "Let's get going,"

As she walked, she admired the scenery, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the fresh air—untainted by the haunting scents of ozone and smoke. She grinned, forcing the dream to the back of her mind. Now was not the time to think about it. Now was the time to enjoy her life, and simply take joy in the world around her.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bianca smiled as she twirled around, giggling. It was simply intoxicating—the air around her, untouched by human devices; the plants, bright green and vivid; the wild Pokemon, and she had already found and caught a little Pokemon called a Lillipup. Lillipup and Oshawott got along famously, she thought, happily traveling towards Accumula Town.

She thought the little brown, fuzzy puppy was adorable! It was simply soooo cute!

However, her mind wandered to slightly more serious topics. Stopping, she looked upwards at the brilliantly blue sky above her. "I wonder what's next?" she asked herself, her uncertainty about the future chewing at her gut. She shook her head, refusing to think such thoughts. It wouldn't help, it wouldn't!

Nodding to herself, she set out towards Accumula Town, hoping to reach it by nightfall—she really didn't want to stay out the night in the wilderness.

Of course, she tried to ignore the tugging in her gut that something bad would happen soon, just wanting to enjoy the life and world around her; unaware that her path, as well as the paths of her friends would coincide with another important person to the fate of Unova.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cheren smirked as he saw the white stone up ahead that marked the beginning of Accumula Town. He was first, and, obviously, he would win as he had two Pokemon, including Tepig.

He entered the small, cheery town, and went first to the Pokemon Center—Professor Juniper gave him a tour, telling him everything he needed to know before going back out to await Bianca and White. He went to the edge of Accumula Town, right where it melted smoothly into Route 1's wilderness. Letting out the Purrloin he had caught and Tepig, he settled back to relax while waiting for Bianca and White, to complete the competition. It would be perfect, he thought, as he would most likely win. No, he was sure of it! He would be the best of the three of them, and he would become the strongest—the Champion!

He would!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

N sighed as he gently petted both Zorua and Purrloin's heads, making them both purr. Chichi-ue was preparing to deliver his speech about the imprisonment of Pokémon by humans and the way Pokémon suffered as a result. N nodded, determination welling up in his chest. "Pokémon suffer because humans selfishly capture them and subject them to their wills," he murmured, closing his eyes tightly. "They should not—will not—be subjected to suffering because of selfish human whims."

N's eyes opened as Zorua scampered up onto his chest, teal eyes flashing. _"And they won't, N. We'll see to that!" _Zorua said, pressing his slightly cold nose tip to N's nose. N wrinkled his nose at the cold touch, smiling happily at Zorua. "Thank you, Zorua," he said, rubbing Zorua's head gently. _"Together forever, right?"_ Zorua asked, curling up sleepily beside the now napping Purrloin. "To the end, my friend," N said, stroking Zorua's back, and leaning back against the warm white stone of the wall he sat in front of.

N closed his eyes, feeling rather sleepy himself, as a warm summer breeze blew softly past. "To the end," he said, and slipped off into the deep, black oblivion of slumber.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

Touko breathed in the now slightly salty air. She was near the sea inlet that allowed access to Route 17 and Route 18, and she hoped to find a Pokémon here—maybe a really, really cool one, or a cute one!

Maiara was now curled lazily around Touko's neck, amber eyes half lidded and watchful, as they approached the seashore. "So, what do you think, Maiara?" Touko asked, thoughtfully watching the waves lapping gently at the shore. "Sni," Maiara mumbled, staring neutrally at the seawater.

Touko settled her cap more firmly upon her head, and briefly looked northwards. "A few more hours north, and we'll hit Accumula Town," she murmured, her sky blue eyes narrowing uncertainly in thought. "So, Maiara, stay here and try to catch a Pokémon, or keep heading north and try to get to Accumula Town before dark?" Touko asked, gently rubbing Maiara's head.

Maiara answered by shifting so that she stood on Touko's shoulder, and, in a way that Touko kinda understood, indicated that she wanted to get down. Touko laughed, and put Maiara on the ground. "I guess we're staying then!"

Touko sat down, sliding off her sneakers and socks, as Maiara crept up to the water, eyeing it coolly. "Be careful, Maiara," she said lightly, and Maiara sent her a rather dry look, as though to say _naw, ya think?_

Maiara turned back to the water, and touched it lightly with her leaf-tail. Suddenly, long, wide, blue flippers—sorta, anyway—flashed up and grabbed Maiara's tail. "Maiara!" Touko yelped when Maiara was yanked upwards. A blue Pokémon rose up out of the water, holding Maiara and glaring at Touko. It had two long, wiry arms with the two 'flippers' that Touko had first seen, and they were holding Maiara, who was struggling to get free. It also had a large, oval-ish head, with a ruff not unlike a clown's on its neck; three long 'flippers' not unlike the ones on its arms took the place of where it's legs would have been as it floated above the water.

"Fril! Frill, fril, ish, frillish!" it snapped, holding Maiara tighter. "Sni, sni, vy, snivy!" Maiara ground out, still struggling. Touko glared back at the Pokémon, and looked worriedly at Maiara. "Maiara! Use _Leer_ to get free!" she called out, hoping that it would help Maiara get free. Maiara suddenly got a vicious leer in her eyes, and directed it at the Pokémon. The Pokémon didn't balk like Bianca's Oshawott and Cheren's Tepig had. It did, however, loosen its grip on Maiara, and that was all the Snivy needed. "Sni_vy!"_ with a massive effort, Maiara got free of the Pokémon's grip, and landed roughly on land—rolling and tumbling to a stop in front of Touko.

Touko swiftly picked up her injured Pokémon, and pulled out her Pokédex. She aimed it at the enemy Pokémon, and it switched on.

"**Frillish—the Floating Pokémon; with its thin, veil-like arms wrapped around the body of its opponent, it sinks to the ocean floor."**

Touko paled, thinking of just _what_ could have happened to Maiara. "Dexa*, what are Frillish's moves and level?" the Pokédex whirred softly as it computed the data being gathered. **"Frillish's level is 6, and its moves are as follows: Bubble, Water Sport, and Absorb."**

Touko stared at the Frillish, and then looked at Maiara. "Can you fight? 'Cause I don't think we're gonna get out of this easily."

(Begin Battle Scene)

Maiara struggled down, out of her arms, and leapt in front of her. "Snivy!" she hissed, glaring coldly at the Frillish. Suddenly—just as suddenly as the Frillish had appeared—vines wound out from the golden leaves that curled back from her neck and lashed at the Frillish.

The Frillish cried out in pain, before opening its mouth and spraying bubbles at Maiara. Touko shook off the shock of having Maiara suddenly learn _Vine Whip_, and yelled. "Maiara, dodge!" the Snivy jumped away from the bubbles, sliding backwards. "Maiara! Use _Vine Whip!"_ Touko cried, staring worriedly at her friend. The vines whipped out at the Frillish again, and the Frillish dodged—gaining only a glancing hit.

Touko could see that the Frillish was hurt, and exhausted. She pulled out a Pokéball and kissed it lightly. She threw it at the Frillish. It bounced off the Pokémon before it opened, and blue light emerged and engulfed the Frillish. The blue light retracted back into the Pokéball, and the Pokéball closed before falling to the ground. It rocked from side to side; once, twice, thrice…

(End Battle Scene)

After a moment, Touko heard a click and her Pokédex spoke up. **"Frillish's full data registered. Do you wish to nickname the caught Pokémon?"**

Touko picked up the Pokéball and released the Frillish. "What do you think, boy? Do you want a nickname?" (Touko figured that the Frillish was a boy—after all, she had seen another Frillish on TV, though why she hadn't thought of it eluded her, and it had been pink and the commentator had said that Frillish was female, so why wouldn't blue be a boy?)

The Frillish nodded, staring rather oddly at Touko. "Right then…why not Hui-Li? I think it would suit you," the Frillish appeared to think about it, before floating happily around Touko a couple of times. "Great! Alright, Dexa, register the nickname for Frillish as Hui-Li,"

The Pokédex whirred softly, before speaking up in its mechanical voice. **"Nickname registered. Hui-Li now registered as Touko Morioka's Pokémon."**

Touko grinned, before grabbing a Potion from her bag and picking Maiara up. "Alright, let's get these treated and get moving towards Accumula Town! Though, we might not get there before dark," she added, glancing up at the afternoon sky. Hui-Li watched her, reddish-brown eyes watching as she—somewhat clumsily—treated Maiara's scratches. Touko eventually turned to Hui-Li, holding a new Potion in her hand. "Alright, you too! Now, this'll sting a bit," she said, stepping forward.

Later, Touko would swear that Hui-Li was scarred by the experience, due to the fact that the Pokémon did everything keep from getting injured, and only allowed her near him when he was injured enough to require treatment. And even then, with great reluctance.

**/End.\**

**Well, there's the end of this chapter—the last part just kind of wrote itself. Also, a translation for the name of the Frillish:**

**Hui—Chinese for 'intelligent, wise' or 'brightness'**

**Li—Chinese for 'reason, logic', 'stand', 'dawn, black', 'strength, power', or 'beautiful'**

**So, hopefully, for the Chinese characters that I wanted, it would be **_**慧**__**-**__**黎**_**. I translated this myself, the characters being the ones to stand for 'intelligent, wise' and 'dawn, black'. So, hopefully it can be taken to mean 'wise dawn' or 'intelligent dawn'…I think.**

**Please let me know if I'm wrong on this, 'cause I'm not entirely sure. I'll definitely correct it if you tell me I need to—I really don't like making mistakes with names.**

**Also, I've got a sort of plot bunny for a third story—a Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Gundam Wing/AC crossover, where characters from PJO and Gundam Wing/AC read the books. It might be the first of its kind—I'm not sure. If you want me to try and fit it together, let me know! I'll be fitting it in with my usual updates, so it'd be updated between SotV and AJoTT. If you approve, suggestions are welcome! In fact, do not be afraid to criticize ****constructively**** or suggest things you want to happen! (Flames will, however, be given to Byakuran, Victini, Duo, and Hestia!)**

**Ja ne, Minna-san!**

**~Happy Camper27**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ohayo, Minna-san! Here's the next chapter of AJoTT. Hope you liked last chapter—from here on out, the chapters should be much, much longer. Anyway, on to the chapter!**

**Final Word Count: 4,269**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon—so, you! Lawyers! Get away you soulless fiends!**

Chapter 5—A Speech and an Interesting Encounter

Touko walked slowly, enjoying the sounds of the night. It was just after sunset, and the western horizon was still stained gentle oranges, pinks, and purples. She had been walking for a couple hours now, heading north from the little sea inlet that lead to Route 17 and Route 18 where she had caught Hui-Li. It wouldn't be too much longer until she reached Accumula Town.

Eventually, she saw the hazy outline of white stones, obscured by tree branches and leaves. She had finally reached Accumula Town. Breaking out into a run, she raced towards the Town, her curly brown hair flying out behind her. Maiara, curled around her shoulders, looked up sleepily. "Sni?"

"We're here, Maiara," Touko murmured breathlessly, a bit out of breath from the run. "We're at Accumula,"

Maiara curled more snugly around Touko's shoulders, mumbling incoherently and slipping back into the doze that she had been in for the past hour or so. Touko looked around, now that they were in the Town. She saw the bright red roof that marked the Pokémon Center, and headed towards it. She reached the automatic sliding doors and entered, walking past the Pokémart portion of the Pokémon Center.

"You're here!"

Touko jumped, barely restraining a yelp. She whipped around to see Bianca smiling—albeit sleepily—at her. "Come on! Professor Juniper is waiting for us!" Bianca said, taking Touko's hand and dragging her towards the counter. Behind the counter stood a kindly looking woman with pink hair that was pulled into loops on either side of her head* and wearing a nurse's uniform. In front of the counter, off to the side, stood Professor Juniper.

"Ah, you're here, Touko," she said. "Well, I'll start the tour," she gestured to the woman. "This is Nurse Joy—if you give her your Pokémon for a little bit, she'll heal them for you. Go ahead and do so." Touko nodded. "Maiara," she murmured, gently uncoiling the Snivy from around her neck, "you need to wake up for a bit."

"Sni…" Maiara mumbled, opening amber eyes. "It'll be alright, kay?" Touko said as she placed Maiara gently on the counter along with Hui-Li's Pokéball. A pink and cream Pokémon with large ears and a white, fluffy cottonball tail came along with a cart and Nurse Joy gently relocated Maiara to the cart along with Hui-Li's Pokéball. "Au," the Pokémon said, smiling at Touko.

Touko removed her Pokédex from her bag, pointing it at the Pokémon. **"Audino—the Hearing Pokémon,"** Dexa* began. **"It touches others with the feelers on its ears, using the sound of their heartbeats to tell how they are feeling."**

"Well, now that that's taken care of, let's continue with the tour," Professor Juniper said lightly. "We'll call you once your Pokémon are healed," Nurse Joy added at Touko's look. "What about you, Bianca?" Touko asked her friend. "I healed mine earlier—the darlings were _so-o-o_ tired!" Bianca replied, smiling happily as they walked behind Professor Juniper.

"This," Professor Juniper began, standing in front of a large computer placed on a table, "is the PC. You can use it to store your Pokémon in the box system—any Pokémon trainer is welcome to use it. And, if you already have six Pokémon with you, when you capture a Pokémon it will be sent to a box in the PC. You can also use it to access your PC, and my PC. If you access my PC, I can check you Pokédex and register the Pokémon you've caught in my PC, which will allow me to learn more about them."

"Professor, the box system PC says 'someone's PC'. Who's 'someone'?" Professor Juniper beamed at Bianca. "Very astute observation, Bianca! As for 'someone', it's the person who helped create the box system and hook it into the PC's here in Unova—there are four or five people who created it in all, and I'm sure you'll meet the one from Unova on your Journey! For now, just ignore it, though."

Touko discretely high-fived Bianca, feeling glad that her friend was (seemingly) recovered from her argument with her father, as they walked after Professor Juniper as she walked towards the Pokémart part of the Center.

"And finally, this is the Pokémart. It sells things that are very useful to Trainers, such as Potions and Pokéballs. Be sure to have plenty with you when you head out into the wild! Now, I'll be heading back to Nuvema Town in the morning. One other thing you should know is that the Pokémon Center offers rooms to Trainers freely, so long as rooms are open—so don't hesitate to ask for one! Anyway, good night to you both; I'm going to bed, which I recommend for you two as well. Trainers are often up with the sun, so I'll give two more pieces of advice. One, early to bed is early rise—you'll get more training and travelling done that way. Two, have fun! Don't just focus on completing the Pokédex—enjoy yourselves! That's the main reason you were gifted with Pokémon," Professor Juniper stated. "Good night, once again," she said, sweeping off upstairs.

Bianca turned to Touko. "Cheren's staying here to—we'll be seeing who won the competition tomorrow morning, that way we're all well rested!" Touko nodded, before Nurse Joy's voice hummed pleasantly from the speakers above. _"Touko, you're Pokémon are all healed! Come and pick them up please,"_

Touko grinned at her friend. "Guess that's my cue, ne?" Bianca smiled back. "Yeah! Good night, Touko," she said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Oyasuminasai, Bianca," Bianca moved away, heading off in the same direction that Professor Juniper had taken. Touko headed up to the counter where Nurse Joy and Audino were waiting with the cart that had Hui-Li's Pokéball and Maiara on it. Touko scooped up Maiara and placed the sleepy Snivy on her neck. She placed Hui-Li's Pokéball on her belt, the _click_ indicating that it was secure.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy, Audino," Touko said, bowing her head slightly and smiling. "Oh, it was no trouble," Nurse Joy said. "Au," Audino said brightly, smiling happily at Touko. "Eto, Nurse Joy, do you think I could stay in one of the rooms here tonight?" Touko asked sheepishly. "Of course! Here," Nurse Joy said, rummaging underneath the desk. She came up with a key-card, and handed it to Touko. "Room 7, it's the fourth door on the right. The rooms are off that way," she gestured to the direction both Bianca and Professor Juniper and gone. "Just go through the blue door and you'll be in a hallway with doors running down it. Each room has its own restroom, along with a shower and bathtub." Nurse Joy said, pointing Touko in the right direction.

"Arigato, Nurse Joy!" Touko said, heading off to her room. Once she got there, she sat down on her bed and placed Maiara on the pillows at the head of the bed. The covers were a light, shimmery blue and the walls were light red and creamy white. The floor was soft carpet, and Touko removed her socks and shoes happily. She flopped back onto the bed, groaning as her back flexed and stretched. She was so tired…

She forced herself up, and went to take a shower. Afterwards, she slid into bed, her hair still damp, and lay down with her head beside Maiara. "Oyasuminasai, Maiara," she mumbled, her sky blue eyes closing. Touko slipped off into the wonderful oblivion known as slumber, her dreams—this time—peaceful and filled with happiness of times long since forgotten to memory.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cheren frowned as sun—which, unfairly, had perfect aim despite being hundreds of thousands of miles away and in space—hit his eyes as it filtered through the light blue curtains that were in front of the window. He sat up and opened his eyes, groping for his glasses to clear up his blurry vision. He slid out of bed and got dressed and brushed his hair. He tried to tame the ever present cowlick that sprang up from his hair, but gave up irritably after a moment or so.

He glared at the window. Stupid sun. Ruining a perfectly good sleep.

He walked out, unconsciously glaring at everything. Nurse Joy smiled at him, and spoke quietly. "I'll bring you some breakfast, if you'll go sit down," she gave him a look-over, "and some tea, I think."

"Hn," Cheren grunted, sitting down in the booth she had gestured to. He placed his head on his arms, seemingly dead to the world. "Morning, Cheren!" a disgustingly cheery voice chirped before there was the soft shifting of someone sitting across from him. He looked up, glaring at the person. "Hn," he grunted at Bianca, an evil aura gathering around him. She smiled, seemingly oblivious to the evil aura that surrounded him.

Bianca was a morning person—a disgustingly cheery person who enjoyed mornings more than most—and it irked Cheren. Mornings were hateful. He hated mornings, and he just wanted to sleep right now. He had a feeling that Tepig shared his sentiments exactly. His Purrloin was neutral, simply lazy in that smooth, content feline fashion.

Bianca turned her head, and waved at someone. "Morning, Touko!" she called, and after a moment a bleary-eyed White sat down beside Bianca. "Morning," she mumbled, and Maiara (her Snivy, Cheren recalled) grumbled from White's arms. Thankfully (in Cheren's mind) White disliked mornings and was, in general, quiet in the morning.

"Morning, Cheren," she mumbled as a lovely scent drifted past. All three of their stomachs grumbled. Bianca laughed, turning slightly pink, and Touko simply looked in the direction of the food, as did Cheren.

Nurse Joy came up with a cart of breakfast food. "Here are some eggs and pancakes, with syrup and butter," she said, placing a plate in front of each of them. "And toast," she placed down a plate with several slices of bread, all toasted and buttered. "Some jam and jelly for you all," she placed down a small carrier with the small, plastic containers of jams and jellies onto the table and smiled at them. "And finally, some tea for you all."—she placed down three mugs and a teapot—"Bon appétit!" she said, and moved off—presumably to serve breakfast to others. "Professor Juniper left earlier," Bianca said as she began to cut up her pancakes after spreading butter and syrup over them. "She headed back to Nuvema Town before you two woke up."

White was busy digging into her eggs, and she looked up, swallowing. "So, where should we go from here?" she asked. "Well, Professor Juniper said that we should head to Striaton City next. She's got an old friend there, Dr. Fennel, who should be able to help us on our Journey," Bianca chirped. Cheren poured himself a mug of tea, and blew on it, letting it cool. "That is a good suggestion," he said quietly, sipping the tea. "There is a Pokémon Gym in Striaton, and the Trainers' School."

White nodded. "So, I've got two Pokémon with me. You?" it took Cheren a moment to realize what she was talking about. "I have two as well," he said, and they both turned to Bianca. "Two, just like you guys. Looks like it's a tie, huh?" Cheren nodded pensively, thinking. _'Tying is better than losing, I suppose, but I can't lose this kind of thing again unless I can turn it around to my advantage…'_

There was silence aside from the occasional joke for the rest of the meal, each of them simply enjoying the silence and food. Cheren barely repressed a smirk of amusement as Maiara snuck pieces of White's food. "Hey!" White said to the Snivy. "That's my food!"

"Sni," Maiara said smugly, eating the piece of pancake. White pouted, and returned to her food. "You're mean…"

Once the meal was finished, White spoke up. "I'm headed out to Route 2 today, but I may just decide to enjoy my stay here for a little while—you know, walk around and stuff. See the Central Plaza. Either of you want to come?" Bianca shook her head. "Sorry, I've got shopping to do."

"I'll be wandering around as well. So I don't see why not," Cheren said and White smiled at him. "Thanks, Cheren," she said lightly. "You're welcome, White," they set out, wandering around.

As they walked around the Central Plaza, a crowd of people caught Cheren's eye. "Hey, White, come over here a moment," he said, slipping to the front of the crowd. White followed him, and they stood side by side. They saw why the crowd was there: a group of people in odd, silvery uniforms with a shield insignia on the left side of their chests—an electric blue 'P' in the center with electrical blue lines zig-zagging across it like lightning, with one half, the right half, black, and the other white. But it wasn't that that truly caught their attention. A man in an odd, eye-catching robe stood in the center of the plaza with the uniformed people standing in a line behind him. He had green hair with three strands standing up, one from either side of his head and one from the top, and a silver-lined eye-glass sort of thing covering his right eye. His other eye was a kind of slate-green, a dull color that was fired up by…something.

It certainly wasn't the fire of determination, nor was it the fire of a passion that burned inside, the passion of someone who would fight, and fight hard for what they believed in. Instead, it was a sort of fire that Cheren had never seen before, and it scared him. It was vivid, and made the dull color of the person's eyes bright, almost feverishly so.

"…Ladies and Gentlemen, we of Team Plasma come to you today to discuss our dear companions, Pokémon." Murmurs rang out at this, but the man continued. "Pokémon are beings of unknown potential, but are subjected to selfish Trainers' whims, and imprisoned by Pokéballs—our technology." Murmurs rang out louder now, but the man plunged on. "We believe them to be happy, our partners and equals. But what if this is untrue? Who's to say that Pokémon are truly happy by being with humans? What if this belief that Pokémon like being with humans is simply something thought up by humans and Trainers to justify what is truly going on? What if the Pokémon we call our 'friends' are just enslaved, subjected to the selfish whims of their Trainer?

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I, Ghetsis, plead that you listen to our words and our warnings, and put your Pokémon's happiness first. Thank you." The man, Ghetsis, turned away, and the lines formed up around him. They moved off, seemingly keeping him safe from all around him. Cheren stared after him, stunned as people around him began to mutter. "Release our Pokémon? But they look so happy around us…" a man said. "I don't know," said another. The crowd slowly dispersed, until it was only him, White, and another boy, wearing a black and white baseball cap with long, messy green hair. It was a darker shade than Ghetsis' had been, and the boy's eyes were, instead of slate-green, a sparkling emerald.

Cheren eyed the boy curiously as he began to speak to them both. "What was that?" he asked. "What did your Pokémon say?" Cheren blinked. "What? Pokémon…speaking?" he asked, and White spoke up. "And which one of us were you talking to?"

The boy shook his head, the ringed circle pendant on the string around his neck shifting at the movement. "So you can't hear them either…" he looked directly into White's eyes then, and Cheren was left with no doubt that the boy was talking to her. "My name is N. I am a Pokémon Trainer." His eyes were sharp as he gazed at White. "Please let me hear your Pokémon's voice once again!"

::::::::::::::::::::::::

N had paid attention throughout Chichi-ue's speech, but a soft murmur of speech caught his ear, and he turned. He saw a girl in a white tank-top, denim shorts, a thin black vest and a pink-and-white baseball cap with long, curly brown hair watching Chichi-ue with a Snivy curled around her neck. It had been the Snivy that had caught his ear, her calm voice saying things that sounded strange to his ears, especially from a Pokémon.

"_I like this girl…I'll stay with her—become stronger with her…"_

It stunned him, the way the Pokémon spoke of the girl. The girl was seemingly unremarkable, yet she had become friends with the Snivy curled around her shoulders. Curiously, he walked up to her. "What did your Pokémon say?" a boy wearing a jacket with a white-and-red striped t-shirt underneath blinked curiously from behind slim glasses. "What? Pokémon…speaking?" he asked, peering at N.

"And which one of us were you talking to?" the girl spoke up. N shook his head, and muttered, "So you can't hear them either…" he focused on the girl, staring straight at her eyes—which, he absently noted, were the color of the sky—and replied, "My name is N. I am a Pokémon Trainer." Determination kindled even more deeply as the Snivy spoke again, questioning, but also supportive of the girl. "Please let me hear your Pokémon's voice once again!"

The girl blinked, but nodded. "Alright, sure! My name's Touko," she said, and her Snivy shifted. She placed the Snivy down on the ground, and N nodded. "Thank you." He released Purrloin, the slender dark-type feline purring cutely as he appeared.  
(Battle Sequence Begin)

"Alright! Maiara, use _Vine Whip_!" Touko commanded, and the Snivy attacked. "Purrloin! Dodge and use _Scratch_!" Purrloin jumped out of the way, twisting gracefully and lunging forward with outstretched claws to attack Snivy. _"No way are you doing that! I won't lose!"_ the Snivy snapped, amber eyes glaring at Purrloin. "Maiara, dodge it and use _Leer_!"

The Snivy was caught by Purrloin's claws, but still used _Leer_, and hissed, _"Try your best! You'll never beat us!"_ Purrloin growled back, _"I'll take you up on that, snake!"_ N was trying hard, and the battle flowed back and forth. Snivy would take a hit, but would come back doubly hard, and she seemed to believe in the prowess of her Trainer, Touko.

N fought, commanding Purrloin to "Use _Growl!"_ "Attack with _Scratch_!" "Dodge it!" and others, but the Snivy fought with belief in its Trainer.

"Maiara! Use _Tackle_ one more time!" the Snivy _Tackle_d the exhausted Purrloin, and finally, the battle was over—Purrloin had, with that last attack, been _Knocked Out_.

(Battle Sequence End)

N recalled Purrloin, and murmured, "I have never heard Pokémon say such things…" he was shocked. He turned away, walking to the Pokémon Center. For the first time, a tiny amount of doubt gnawed at his belly, and he worried for a moment. What if he was wrong?

He shook away the cloying thoughts. No, no. just because one did not suffer, that was most likely because it had only recently joined that Trainer—it would be oppressed, and would most certainly grow to hate and revile the Trainer, like all the others he had met. He was sure of it!

That, however, did not truly assuage his fears—it only pushed them to the back of his mind.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bianca hummed softly as she browsed the store—she had already bought what she needed from the Pokémart with a small amount of Pokéyen**, and was now hunting for a sleeping bag—after all, if she was going to camp out, she would need it!

Happily oblivious to everything around her, she continued on shopping. Finally finding what she was looking for, she went up to the register carrying the three sleeping bags—one was dark blue, for Cheren; another, purple, for Touko; and green for her—and the cashier rung them up. "That'll be 1,500 Pokéyen, please," the cashier said.

Bianca looked in her purse, and sighed. It was necessary, she knew, but she still wished she could get them at a lower price. "Oh well…here you go!" she gave the cashier the money, smiling as she did so. "Thank you, would you like a receipt?" Bianca shook her head. "No thank you, have a good one!" the cashier nodded, wishing her a good day as well. Bianca smiled happily, carrying a few bags along with the sleeping bags she now carried loosely across her back.

It was a warm day, and soft green leaves floated through the air in the sweet breeze. As she moved along, wandering now, she heard an upbeat tune flowing through the air. Looking around for the source, an old man seemed to take pity on her. "The music's coming from there," he said, voice creaky with age, while pointing up at a café on the sort-of platform that Bianca had seen was behind the Pokémon Center.

"Thank you!" Bianca chirped, walking swiftly up the steps that led up to the platform before heading to the café. Piano music rang out from inside, and a drum played an accompaniment. She entered the café, and sat down at a table while observing the two playing the instruments. A waitress came up, and gave her a menu. "They're pretty good, ne?" she asked, pushing a curl of her auburn hair behind an ear. "Yeah! Do you have any idea what they're playing?" Bianca asked, glancing cursorily at the menu. "Nope, all I know is that they're usually playing here every day for the lunch rush and that the song they're playing is their favorite tune. So, what would you like to drink?"

Bianca ordered water, and looked through the menu. Though she had eaten only an hour or so earlier, the crackers and cheese looked good—and small—so she ordered that. It was good, the different types of cheese given were incredibly diverse, and Bianca was sorry to leave the little café when she was done, but she had things she had to do. She hummed the song the two musicians had been playing, very nearly bouncing along with her cargo of bags, heading back to the Pokémon Center to meet up with Touko and Cheren.

It was, after all, a rather pleasant day.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Touya grinned at Drayden, his brown eyes sparking with determination. "Alright! Nanuq! Use _Frost Breath_!" the Beartic roared, and an icy blue stream of wind was blown out from its mouth and it hit the Haxorus, the dragon-type being _Knocked Out_ by the attack.

Drayden nodded, recalling his last Pokémon. "Very well. You have shown me your strength and determination." He pulled out a badge from his shirt pocket. "By the rules of the Pokémon League, I hereby give you the Legend Badge. With this badge, all Pokémon will obey you, even traded Pokémon. And, now that you have all eight official badges of the Unova region, you can now challenge the Pokémon League and the Elite Four."

Touya grinned even brighter, the grin threatening to split his face. "Great! Nanuq, return!" he recalled the Beartic, and shook Drayden's hand. "Great battle!" Drayden nodded pensively. "Thank you. You fought well,"

Touya walked over to the teleport panel that challengers used to get back to the entrance. "See ya!" he stepped onto it, and with a dizzying sensation, was sent to the corresponding panel at the entrance. "Woah!" he said, attempting to keep from falling. He was steadied by Clyde, the Pokémon Gym guide. "You've done it! You've gotten all eight badges!" at this Clyde winked. "Since I gave you all that Fresh Water, I think I should get a bit of the winnings, ne? Just kidding!" he joked, and Touya laughed lightly. "Haha! Yeah!" Clyde eyed him speculatively. "You heading to the Pokémon League next?"

Touya shook his head. "Not yet, I'm gonna go visit my Okaa-chan and my Imouto first—Touko, my Imouto, has already gotten her first Pokémon and started her Journey!" Clyde nodded understandingly. "Right. When I see her, I'll greet her well!" Touya clapped him on the back. "Thanks man!"

"You're welcome!"

Touya left the Gym, his brown eyes shining, and released one of his Pokémon—a Swanna that was nicknamed Megumi—and used _Fly_ to begin his trip to Nuvema Town. He was grinning all the while.

**/End.\**

**Hope you liked! Also, no one has commented on the plunny of last chapter, so please tell me what you think!**

***I forgot to add this in last chapter, but Dexa is Touko's Pokédex's name, like Ash's Pokédex is called Dexter.**

****I think that's what it's called…**

**Names:**

**Nanuq—means 'polar bear' in Inuit (The language of the 'Eskimos', however they prefer to be called Inuit since 'Eskimo' means flesh-eater)**

**Megumi—means 'blessing' in Japanese**

**Also, am I doing alright with the pace and how I'm envisioning the characters? Let me know—constructive criticism is always welcome, but flames will be given to Byakuran, Victini, Hestia, and Duo!**

**Also, by the time this is posted, I will have gone back and edited the past few chapters of a few mistakes (Thank you ****Shirogane Mizuki****!)**

**Ja ne, Minna-san!**

**~Happy Camper27 **


	7. Chapter 7

**Ohayo, Minna-san! I'm back, with the next chapter of AJoTT! Thank you all so much for reading this! Though, I do suppose, that not many people are actually reading this, based on the amount of reviews... Well…let's get to the chapter, ne? **

**Oh, and by the way, here's a quick key for the different ways things are going to be specified:**

"Normal Speech"

"_Pokémon Speech"_ = is used when in N's POV

_(Translation)_ = used when there are more than just two or three words singularly, or a sentence in a different language.

"**Pokédex"**

'_Thoughts from current POV'_

**Final Word Count: 3,919**

**Disclaimer: How would I own any of this amazing stuff? It's kind of preposterous…**

Chapter 6—In Which There is a Reunion

Touya grinned as he and Megumi flew smoothly over the Unova Region. Carefully, he glanced down, noting that they were flying past Striaton City and Route 2, coming up upon Accumula Town rather quickly. Megumi, knowing that they were headed for Nuvema Town, began to descend from their rather impressive height.

Touya whooped as the air rushed past him, leaning forward over Megumi's long neck. They rushed downwards, adrenaline flushing through his veins, sharpening his vision and increasing his heart rate. Finally, they reached Nuvema Town. Megumi flexed her wings, halting their descent easily. Touya slipped off her back, stumbling as his head spun dizzily. "Thanks Megumi," he said, recalling the Swanna to her Pokéball.

Happily, he entered the town, breathing in the pure, spring air. He felt hyper—energy buzzing inside of him, filling him up; making him restless—at the prospect of seeing his family again. Soon enough he came upon his house, and slipped quietly inside. Once he was inside, he called out to his Kaa-chan, "Tadaima, Okaa-chan!"

There was a thump, before his Kaa-chan came into the living room. She stared at him, her eyes glistening. She held out her arms, smiling proudly. He swept her up in a hug, breathing in the familiar scent that had always comforted him when he was little. "Okaeri, Ya-kun, okaeri," she murmured, holding him tightly. Her voice was filled with the kind of soothing, fierce pride that only a mother could have.

They stayed like that for a few moments, Touya feeling as though all the homesickness he'd never even known that he'd felt was flooding out of him at his Kaa-chan's embrace. All too soon, his Kaa-chan pulled away, and settled him down on the couch. "Now," she began, "tell me everything that's happened since you left,"

Touya blinked. "Everything, Kaa-chan?" she nodded. "Of course, Ya-kun! I want to hear every detail!" she smirked at him. "Were there any girls?" Touya blushed. "Kaa-chan!" his Kaa-chan simply laughed. Touya sighed, thinking back. "Well, where do I start…?" he wondered aloud. "The beginning is usually a good place, Ya-kun~"

Touya flushed slightly. "Right. Eto…I'll start from Route 1, okay?" his Kaa-chan smiled in agreement. "Alright, so, you see, I had just left Nuvema Town…"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Touko ran her fingers gently through her loose and tatted hair. She winced as her fingers met a particularly stubborn knot. She grabbed her brush, which sat beside her on the bed, and began to brush her hair out in preparation for bed. She was in the Pokémon Center in Accumula Town, having made arrangements to stay for another day.

Earlier that day, not too long after Touko and the mysterious boy, N, had battled in the Central Plaza, her Kaa-chan had called Touko on the Xtransceiver—apparently, her Kaa-chan and Nii-san were going to be coming to Accumula; partly because Nii-san wanted to see her, and partly because her Kaa-chan had something to give her.

Maiara was curled up on her pillow, already deeply asleep. Touko scrunched up her nose. Maiara, it seemed, was quite lazy—not that Touko really minded. She picked up her hair tie, and slid it onto her wrist as she separated her hair into three sections. Her mind drifted to the mysterious boy, N, as she braided her hair.

He had seemed so…so…_familiar_. As odd as it was, that was the only way she could describe it. Even if they had never met, it seemed like she knew him from…somewhere. Frustration bubbled up inside of her. Why? Why did that boy, N, feel so very familiar? Why did it feel like they had met before? Why? _Why?_

"Oh, Arceus," Touko mumbled, tying off her braid. "This is so weird, and frustrating, and, and," she trailed off, flopping backwards onto the mattress. Turning her thoughts away from N, she wondered how Cheren and Bianca were. They had left just after lunch, heading for Striaton City. Touko stifled a giggle. Knowing Bianca, she was probably having a blast, enjoying herself and making it like a huge camp-out, like they used to have when they were little. Touko closed her eyes, feeling sleep creep up upon her.

With a groan, she clambered under the covers of the bed, shifting Maiara to the side. The Snivy barely reacted. With a snort, Touko settled down to sleep—praying to Arceus that she wouldn't be sucked into the strange, mystical world of her dreams.

Touko awoke the next morning, feeling relatively refreshed. She slipped out of bed, and prepared for the day—her prayers, thank Arceus, had been answered. She hadn't dreamed those strange, mystical dreams of fire and lighting, twining together in an intricate dance; the flickering flames and the flashing electricity leaving the scents of smoke and ozone in the air, imbuing the dreams with an odd sense of ethereality; of being real…yet not.

Quietly, she sighed as she pulled her hair up into its usual high ponytail, fitting on her baseball cap. She paused, looking at the mirror. She nodded, satisfied. It would work, especially since she was seeing Nii-san today…

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Touko scooped up Maiara from her place upon Touko's pillow. "Sni?" Maiara grunted sleepily, squirming. "Rise and shine, Maiara!"

Predictably, Maiara was a bit irritable at having her sleep interrupted, but settled possessively around Touko's neck. Touko smiled at her grumpy Pokémon, checking to make sure that everything that she needed—i.e. the Pokéballs and Potions she had bought yesterday, the sleeping bag that Bianca had (thoughtfully) gifted her with, etc.—was packed properly and was ready to go.

Touko stepped out of the room, intent on getting her breakfast. She was, after all, a growing girl. After she ate—a warm meal of raisin oatmeal and milk; Nurse Joy also brought her a hot chocolate with marshmallows floating in it as a drink—she relaxed in the 'recreational area' of the Pokémon Center. In general, Pokémon were allowed outside of their Pokéballs anywhere, no matter what city or town you were in. However, the 'recreational area' that almost all Pokémon Centers had was equipped to handle any type of Pokémon—they had access to a small, grassy field, which was rocky in a few places. They also had a pool, for the water type Pokémon, etc.

Hui-Li was enjoying the water, occasionally splashing Touko with the cold liquid. Maiara, in the meanwhile, lounged in the sun, soaking up the warm sunlight that shone down upon the area. Touko, for all of her attempts, was beginning to fall into a coziness induced doze when someone tapped her shoulder before scooping her up easily into a hug. "Konnichiwa, Imouto!"

"Ayah!" Touko yelped, struggling against her captor's sure grasp. After a moment, the greeting registered. "Nii-san?" the arms around her released their grip, and she stumbled back. "Yup!" she looked up, seeing the well-loved face of her Nii-san. His warm brown eyes sparkled, framed by wild brown hair. His blue jacket, which had been brand new when he had left, was now worn; it had brownish stains in places and had been scuffed and scratched in others.

But, all in all, it was her Nii-san. _Her Nii-san._

Touko all but jumped him, laughing all the while. After the reunion, Touko was questioning Touya, begging to hear about his Journey. However, a cough caught Touko and Touya's attention. They both turned to see their Kaa-chan smiling at them. "Ko-chan? C'mere," she said, holding her arms open. Touko giggled, before hugging her Kaa-chan tightly. She felt her Kaa-chan's warm arms circle around her, and she savored the feeling of comfort and safety from her Kaa-chan, knowing it was likely to be the last in a long, long time.

All too soon, it ended; her Kaa-chan pulling back and letting her go. "I brought you something, Ko-chan!" her Kaa-chan chirped, pulling something out of her bag. Touko took the items, seeing that they were shoes. "Well? Try them on!"

Touko blinked, before sitting down on the chair she had been dozing off on before Touya had grabbed her up. She took off her open-top, single-strap shoes, trying on the pair her Kaa-chan had brought. She tied them off, standing up. "What kind of shoes are they, Kaa-chan?" Touko asked. "Running Shoes, Ko-chan! I found them while I was cleaning up after your, Bianca, and Cheren's battles!" Touko and Touya sweatdropped. _'Of course…'_

It was so very typical of their Kaa-chan.

"Arigatou, Kaa-chan!" Touko chirped, bouncing lightly as she turned to Touya. "Nii-san! Can I _please_ see your Pokémon team?" Touya made a show of thinking it over, before patting Touko's head. "Of course ya can, Imouto," he smirked. "If you show me your team!" Touko brightened. "Hai!"

She pointed them out easily. "Maiara's over there," she said, smiling at the snoozing Snivy. Touya laughed. "So, you got a lazy one, ne?" Touko shrugged. "So? Anyway, that's Hui-Li in the pool," she said, gesturing to the playing Frillish. Touya whistled. "A Frillish? I didn't see one of those until I got around Driftveil City! You are so lucky!" she flushed. "Iie, not really—I just hope I will be up to being a Trainer…"Touya patted her head, and she scowled. "Hey!"

Touya shook his head. "That's unlikely, Imouto, and ya know it!" his grin was infectious, and soon all three of them were laughing. "He's right, Ko-chan. Your Tou-san—" her Kaa-chan suddenly choked on her words, looking away. "Never mind."

Touko looked away, feeling the sharp pang of grief that always accompanied any mention of her Tou-san. "H-hey, well, I'll show you guys _my_ Pokémon team, 'kay?" Touya bubbled uncertainly, obviously attempting to lift their spirits. Touko smiled sadly. "Hai, Nii-san,"

"Alright! Minna! Come on out!" Touya tossed his six Pokéballs into the air, releasing his Pokémon. As the blue light faded, six Pokémon were revealed to Touko's eager eyes. She gasped, pulling out her Pokédex. Touya grinned, and walked over to his curious team. "Guys—and girls!" he added after a large, majestic, white and blue Flying-type Pokémon spread her wings sharply. "This is my little sister, Touko," he continued. "Touko, this"—he gently stroked the majestic Flying-type—"is Megumi. She's a Swanna,"

Touya paused in his dissertation when he heard the mechanical voice of Touko's Pokédex. **"Swanna—the White Bird Pokémon. Swanna begin to dance at dusk; the one dancing in the middle is the leader of the flock."**

"That's really cool, Nii-san!" Touko gushed excitedly, her grief over her Tou-san forgotten. "Glad you like, Imouto! Now, this one"—he tapped gently on the head of a large, red and black Pokémon with huge, narrow jaws—"is Arthit. He's a Krookodile," again, he paused as she registered having sighted the Krookodile in her Pokédex.

"**Krookodile—the Intimidation Pokémon. These Pokémon never allow prey to escape. Their jaws are so powerful, they can crush an automobile."**

Touko watched her Nii-san's Pokémon excitedly as each one was announced, practically buzzing with eager fascination. "This is Nanuq," Touya stated, fondly looking at the large, feral-looking Pokémon with icicles that resembled a beard on its chin. "He's a Beartic," Touko raised her Pokédex, registering the Pokémon.

"**Beartic—the Freezing Pokémon. These Pokémon can their breath at will; very able in the water, it swims around northern seas and catches prey."**

And so, the introductions continued, with Touya introducing his Pokémon, and Touko registering them in her Pokédex. Later on, she would be found looking at her Pokédex, chanting softly under her breath, 'I can't believe it, I can't!'

After the introductions were finished, Touko, Touya, and their Kaa-chan left the Pokémon Center, wandering around a bit. They enjoyed their time together, as the family they had not had the chance to be in over a year. However, finally, the time came to part. They stood at the Gate (a comfortable affair, Touko had thought, with an electric bulletin board proclaiming the time and the weather of the Route closest to it, and, at the very least, the city closest to it.) and her Kaa-chan wrapped her in a hug. "Oh, be safe, Kawaiko-chan," she whispered. "Hai, Kaa-chan," Touko mumbled, feeling a flush gathering in her cheeks as her Kaa-chan used the pet name that she had given Touko for the first time in a long time.

As they separated, Touya grinned at their Kaa-chan. "Don't worry, Kaa-chan! I'll keep Imouto-chan safe!" Touko glared indignantly at her brother. "Nii-san! Watashi wa chiisakunaidesu!"_ (Brother! I am not small!)_

Their Kaa-chan just chuckled, albeit a bit tearfully, at the antics of her children. "Be safe, both of you!" she called after them as they strode off onto Route 2, arguing over whether or not Touko was, indeed, small. Neither one paused, calling back in the way only siblings who regularly argued could do. "Hai, Kaa-chan!"

Neither one was aware that their Kaa-chan had begun her walk back home giggling; the antics of the two really were funny—to spectators.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The morning after Chichi-ue's speech, N stood a few feet away from the entrance into Route 2, holding Purrloin's Pokéball in his hand. Quietly, he released Purrloin. _"What is it?"_Purrloin asked, stretching lithely. N crouched down, gently rubbing Purrloin's ears. "I'm releasing you—you shouldn't be used by a Trainer, my friend," Purrloin seemed shocked by his pronouncement, before an aura of sorrow seemed to surround his friend. _"Ah, I see…"_ Purrloin murmured softly. N pulled out a homemade Pokémon treat that he had made himself, and gave it to Purrloin. "Goodbye, my friend," he said, placing the Pokéball on the ground. He stepped on it, crushing it.

Purrloin turned away, slipping away into the bushes like a shadow. What bothered N, though, was the aura of sorrow that followed Purrloin like a storm cloud. Zorua sighed softly from his place on N's head. "What?" N asked curiously. _"Nothing…You'll figure it out eventually,"_ Zorua spoke the last part under his breath, so that no one but him could hear it. N frowned, but nodded in acquiescence. "Alright,"

He sat down on the crisp grass feeling exhausted all of a sudden. Quietly, he focused on his surroundings, opening up his mind. He breathed deeply, simply taking in the flowing energy all around him; the energy was like a web, flowing gracefully along the strands, but so very intertwined and intricate that he could only hope to gain a bare understanding of its nature. It was so complex, and N felt his mind (and body) relax as he focused on the formulas that made up the world around him. The purity of it, so much that was untouched by human hands…it energized him, reinforcing his beliefs and his determination.

N had no idea how long he sat there, quietly listening to the world around him, focusing upon the energy that surrounded him. However, when he finally became more physically and temporally aware, the sun was much higher in the sky than it had been previously.

Standing, he pulled his sleeping bag onto his back and shifted his bag so that is rested far more comfortably around his shoulder and side. "It's time to wake, Zorua," he said softly. _"Huh? Oh…are we leaving already…? Can't I just sleep?"_ Zorua complained, rousing from his sleep. "Unfortunately not," N murmured. _"Hmph,"_ Zorua grunted, standing. Zorua jumped up, climbing (sort of) up N's body, ending up on N's shoulder. _"Wake me up when we stop…haaaa…for the night…"_ Zorua yawned, and N grabbed him. "I'll carry you," he said firmly, before striding off into Route 2.

Ignoring any and all protests from the sleepy Pokémon.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Bianca giggled like the young girl she was as she set up camp for the night. Her perfectly adorable Pokémon had gotten stronger, she was sure, after challenging some of her fellow new Trainers; they trained here on Route 2, gaining strength to attempt to challenge the Striaton Gym. Or, at least, that was what she assumed. She hadn't really bothered to ask.

Oh bother.

"Oh well," she sighed to herself. "Can't win everything, I suppose. I'll just ask someone tomorrow!" she settled down into her warm and comfy sleeping bag, cuddling Lillipup and Oshawott close. "Night night!" she sang out sleepily, closing her eyes. "Oshaaa…" came Oshawott's sleepy response. "Liiilliiiii…" was Lillipup's response. Bianca merely giggled, falling asleep—she dreamed of her cute Pokémon and all the things she could find out…all of the ways that could somehow, someway, prove her papa wrong.

'_Yeah…'_ she thought sleepily before the blackness of sleep claimed her. _'I'll prove Papa wrong…'_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cheren lay there in his sleeping bag, staring up at the glittering night sky. The sky was dotted with hundreds, no thousands, of twinkling stars—far more than Cheren had ever seen when he, Bianca, and White had camped out at Nuvema Town. It fascinated him, to know that when he stared at the stars, he was really staring (in a way) into the past.

The sky, however, was very…pretty. It was the only way to describe it, no matter how Cheren felt about using the word. He began to search out constellations: The Twin Dragons, The Three Leaps of the Deerling, and the Claw—three of his favorites—were all in the sky. Currently, The Twin Dragons, a constellation named for its similarity in shape to the two legendary symbols of Unova—Zekrom and Reshiram—pointed fiercely northwards from its ever-still position. The Three Leaps of the Deerling was in the east, a small part of the larger constellation known as The Stoutland, and it showed the location of three of The Stoutland's paws. Its counterparts, The Herdier and the Lillipup, both named for their similarity to the normal-types, were currently unseen in the sky, having traveled below the horizon.

The Claw was another constellation that was a part of a larger constellation. It was the claw of the constellation known as The Haxorus. The Claw was outstretched, as though it was in battle; and, indeed, the story surrounding The Haxorus said as much. Fondly, Cheren recalled the mythology surrounding The Haxorus.

It said that a long time ago, The Haxorus had protected Opelucid City—then a large and prosperous city—from many attackers; until, one day, a fearsome Dragon and Dark-type Pokémon called a Hydreigon attacked the city. The Haxorus defended the city, battling viciously with the Hydreigon. The battle lasted four days and three nights, the power of the Dragon-types creating deep craters in the ground—blasting away the earth, changing the natural flow of the river that coursed swiftly through the area. On the fourth day, the Hydreigon was finally vanquished. However, the Pokémon had put up such a fierce fight that, according to the myth, its spirit had been placed in the starry skies, a reminder to all of its battle. The Haxorus, though, while being the victor, was badly wounded and its life-force had been fading quickly. The Haxorus' Trainer had cried out to the world at large, begging for his partner to stay. Unfortunately, the Haxorus had faded; but, like its final opponent, its spirit was placed within the stars. The two Pokémon, which had become, quite literally, spirits in the stars, were placed on opposite sides of the sky—forever battling each other.

This battle was supposedly the reason that many Dragon-type Specialists—which were Trainers who specialized in one type, hence the name—never raised the two Pokémon or their pre-evolution forms of Deino and Axew, or Zweilous and Fraxure, together. The two Pokémon were fierce rivals.

With a sigh, Cheren closed his eyes. Honestly, as nice as it was to watch the stars and all, he did need his sleep. Breathing deeply, he drifted off into the realm of dreams—where, of course, anything is possible.

**/End.\**

**Ehe…this is more of a filler chapter than I would have liked, but it does set out some of the main five's personalities better, I think. Also, it gives a better look into the mythology surrounding Unova's past and history and stuff. **

**Don't be mad that I didn't fully introduce Touya's team in the chapter—it seemed so tedious to introduce them there, so I decided I would make a list down here! And this is for Cheren, Bianca, and N too, by the way!**

**Touya's Team:**

**Samurott:**

**Nickname: Isamu—means "courage", "bravery" in Japanese**

**Known Moveset:**

**Aqua Tail**

**Ice Beam (Taught with a Technical Machine)**

**Razor Shell**

**Revenge**

**Beartic:**

**Nickname: Nanuq—means "polar bear" in Inuit**

**Known Moveset:**

**Frost Breath (Taught with a Technical Machine)**

**Icicle Crash**

**Rest**

**Slash**

**Swanna:**

**Nickname: Megumi—means "blessing" in Japanese**

**Known Moveset:**

**Rain Dance**

**Fly (Taught with a Hidden Machine)**

**Water Pulse**

**Air Slash**

**Krookodile:**

**Nickname: Arthit—means "sun" in Thai**

**Known Moveset:**

**Crunch**

**Dig**

**Foul Play**

**Strength (Taught with a Hidden Machine)**

**Sawsbuck:**

**Nickname: Kulap—means "rose" in Thai**

**Known Moveset:**

**Nature Power**

**Energy Ball**

**Horn Leech**

**Charm**

**Darmanitan:**

**Nickname: Seung—from Sino-Korean, meaning "rise, ascent"; "victory"; or "inherit"**

**Known Moveset:**

**Hammer Arm**

**Flare Blitz**

**Taunt**

**Bulldoze (Taught with a Technical Machine)**

**Bianca's Team:**

**Oshawott**

**Nickname: None**

**Known Moveset:**

**Tackle**

**Tail Whip**

**Water Gun**

**Lillipup:**

**Nickname: None**

**Known Moveset**

**Tackle **

**Odor Sleuth **

**Leer**

**Cheren's Team:**

**Tepig:**

**Nickname: None**

**Known Moveset:**

**Tackle**

**Tail Whip**

**Ember**

**Purrloin:**

**Scratch **

**Growl**

**Assist**

**Now, Cheren and Bianca's Teams will end out the same as the ones post-Pokémon Black—you can go ahead and look those up if you want to.**

**Also, the constellations mentioned in Cheren's semi-POV are based mostly off of real life constellations, thought The Twin Dragons is not. The story behind The Haxorus was somewhat inspired by the story of Orion the Hunter and the Goddess Artemis, while The Stoutland and The Three Leaps of the Deerling is based off of Ursa Major. Yay for astronomy!**

**Ja ne, Minna-san!**

**~Happy Camper27**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ohayo, Minna-san! Funny, huh, how I'm updating so quickly, ne? Well I've got a little bit more free time, so the chapters should be coming out a little more quickly until September—that's when things will get busy for me. Also, for all of my faithful readers who like this story: THANK YOU! I completely and utterly adore you. Virtual cookies and bacon (its meat candy) to all of you! I'm so happy you like this story!**

**By the way, for anyone who didn't know, I have a poll up on my profile for which Pokémon Touko should capture—please vote! The top three will be the winners, 'cause she already has two and I have the final one picked out.**

**Text Key:**

"Normal Speech"

"_Pokémon Speech"_— used in N's POV

_(Translation)__—_used when more than two or three words in a sentence are in a different language. Will be placed at end of paragraph; if there is more than one necessary translation, they will be placed in the order they were spoken.

'::::::::'-this represents change of POV

'—' this represents minor time skip, not changing the POV

'_Thoughts'_

"**Pokédex"**

(Battle Scene Commence)-placed for those who do not wish to read any type of violence; it is a warning, and if you choose to read the battle scenes (as pathetic as they are…), it is your responsibility it deal with the outcome.

**Final Word Count: 4,943**

Chapter 7—Sibling Rivalry and New Experiences

Bianca, for all of her occasional tardiness, was an early—and happy—riser. She smiled and laughed, enjoying the quiet peace of the early mornings. Of course, today, she wasn't such an early riser. The previous days had taken their toll on her inexperienced body, and her muscles complained as she awoke.

Oshawott and Lillipup were still fast asleep, and Bianca giggled before stiffly moving to grab her pack. Or, at least, she tried.

Her muscles were quick to negate her movements, voicing their distaste for her actions rather vehemently. "Owww," she complained, flopping backwards onto her pillow. "Oshaa…?" mumbled Oshawott questioningly, shifting in his sleep. Bianca held her breath, and the little Pokémon settled back into his slumber. Bianca frowned at the light blue sky above her, the sun's gentle rays filtering through the bright green leaves.

"I really don't want to get up…but I have to. Ugh." She grumbled, slowly attempting to rise. Painfully, she shifted and grabbed her bag. Pulling out the Pokémon food first, she grabbed the dishes that were designed for her Pokémon and poured some of the food from the box into the dishes.

She gently poked at Oshawott to get him to wake up, prodding his side. "Osha…? Osha!" Oshawott complained, burying his head in the soft material of the sleeping bag. "Rise and shine~" she singsong-ed, and Oshawott burrowed deeper into the sleeping bag. Bianca giggled at the cute display, "Kawaii,"

She poked at Oshawott once more. "Wake-y, wake-y~ Eggs and bake-y~" she singsong-ed again. Lillipup raised his head questioningly. "Lilli…?"

Bianca sighed. "Could you try and wake up Oshawott, Lillipup? Your and Oshawott's food is ready," Lillipup barked affirmatively, standing up and hopping lightly over to the sleeping Water-type. However, this was proved unnecessary; Oshawott, upon hearing the word "food" had been wide awake and salivating. Bianca giggled once more at the cute display. "Kawaii! Gomen, Lillipup. It looks like you don't need to wake Oshawott up anymore, ne?" Lillipup looked put out.

"Gomenasai, Lillipup. C'mon, eat up!" Bianca grinned as both of her Pokémon did just that—eat. As the Pokémon ate, she pulled out the long lasting energy bars that she had bought while they were in Accumula. Opening one, she bit into it, savoring the flavor.

It was a slightly sweet one, with dried fruit and nuts. She was rather new to this lifestyle—it was a completely different way of living than the way she was used to, that she knew. "Oh well," she mumbled, finishing off the energy bar. It would fill her up (hopefully) until they stopped so that Oshawott and Lillipup could eat.

Once the two Pokémon were finished eating, she recalled them into their Pokéballs. Pulling out her Town Map, she zoomed in on the Route 2/Striaton City area. "Okay…so we follow the path, and it'll turn northwards…?" nodding, Bianca stood up. She had changed into her regular clothes while her Pokémon were eating, and she was now presentable—as her mother had told her, 'people judge you based on how you look,'—and she was ready to head to Striaton City.

The Town Map stated that it was around a two to three day walk to get to Striaton City from Accumula Town, so she felt that she would make it there either that evening or the next day. She walked along, traveling down the road. "Honestly," Bianca mused quietly to herself, "I thought that being a Trainer would involve excitement and adventure around every corner; I suppose I might be right…I just didn't take into account all of the walking! Who knew seeing new things could be boring like this?" by this time, Bianca had lost the feeling of euphoria that finally being a Trainer had filled her with.

"It'll get better though, I think," she continued to think aloud, "I mean, a Journey is supposed to be about experiencing new things and finding out what you want to do, right? If it was boring all the time, no one would really _want_ to go on a Journey, right? But then again, adults can be _so_ _weird_. Maybe they would do something like this for fun?" as she walked, she continued to think aloud and muse to herself, filling the quiet with the sound of her voice.

By the time it was mid-day, Bianca felt rather hungry. She pulled out another energy bar and snacked on it, talking aloud in between swallows. Her wonderings had gone from why Journeys were so boring to what she might do in Striaton City, wandering to why the sky was blue and from there making up stories to keep herself occupied.

Finally (around evening time), she bumped into another person along the road. They were walking slowly along the side of the road, more meandering than walking. The person had long, spiky-ish minty green hair and wore a black cap—a lot like the ones Touko and Touya wore, Bianca thought. They also wore a loose, white, long-sleeve t-shirt with tan pants and green shoes. Bianca noticed that they also wore an armband on one arm and a bunch of golden bronze bangles on the other. However, what truly caught Bianca's eye was the black and red Pokémon that lounged on the person's head. "Is that what I think it is…?" Bianca mumbled.

"Hey!" she called out, speeding up so as to catch up with the mysterious stranger. The person paused, looking back over their shoulder. "Hey, wait up!"

The person—a boy—blinked curiously at Bianca as she came to a stop beside him. "Yes?" he asked. "My name's Bianca!" Bianca introduced herself, somewhat forgetting that she was out in the wild and anything could happen. "I'm N, and this is Zorua." He gestured to the Pokémon on his head as he introduced it. "It's nice to meet you, Bianca," he said politely. "Eto…if I can ask, why did you ask me to wait?"

Bianca blinked at the boy, completely blanking on her reasons for what she had done. She grinned innocently before she answered. "No reason~!" N sweatdropped at the reply, somewhat confused. "It's just, well, I've only just left home a couple days ago, and I haven't had any human contact for a while," she babbled randomly as they continued walking. "And I just wanted to talk to someone, y'know?" N nodded quietly as they walked. "So why did you leave home?" he asked softly. "Oh, I got my starter Pokémon! Me and my two best friends got our first Pokémon and now we're heading out on our Journeys!"

"Really? So you got them from Professor Juniper?" Bianca nodded. "Yeah! Me and my friends live in Nuvema Town, so I know Professor Juniper," N tilted his head to the side. "Professor Juniper…isn't she one of the Professors from each region who helped put the National Pokédex together?"

"Mhm! It's really cool. In fact, Professor Juniper asked me and my friends to try and complete the Unova Pokédex! Cool, huh?" N nodded absently. "The Pokédex? So you're going to capture a lot of Pokémon in Pokéballs, in order to complete that, correct?"

"Hai, according to my mom, it's also a chance for me and my friends to see the world!" N frowned. "See the world, huh?" Bianca bounced on her toes. "Yup!" she chirped. "Oh, look!" Bianca said excitedly. "It's Striaton!" she pointed to the buildings that stood out starkly against the slowly darkening sky. She turned to N.  
"Hey, N! Why don't we see who can get to Striaton first?" said Bianca, seeming to be ready to race off at any moment. "Like… a race?" N asked hesitantly. "Yeah! Exactly!" exclaimed Bianca. "Okay," N said, and Bianca stopped. "What is it?" N asked. "Well, for a race, we need a starting line, ne?" she replied, drawing a relatively straight line in the dusty road with her foot.

"Alright! Line up!" Bianca chirped easily, standing with her right foot on the line. N blinked as Zorua yipped and jumped off of his head, standing on the line. "Looks like Zorua wants to race with us, N!" Bianca giggled. "Hai," N murmured politely, standing with his left foot on the line. "Alright, we'll start running on 'Go', okay?"

"Hai, Bianca," N replied, readying himself. "Ready…" Bianca began.

"Steady…"

"_GO!"_

They pushed off the line, Bianca falling behind due to the fact that she was wearing a skirt. Zorua was in the lead, practically leaping forward. N was in the middle, unsure of himself but still ahead of Bianca. They ran, and by the time they reached the beginning of Striaton, they were all out of breath and Bianca was laughing giddily. "T-that was fun!" Bianca laughed, leaning over panting. N nodded and leaned against a handy tree, breathing hard. Bianca smiled at him as she managed to catch her breath.

"It was nice meeting you, N! Are you going into the city?"

N shook his head, and Bianca sighed, feeling rather put out. "Oh well. Maybe we'll meet again sometime!" N blinked at her, his green eyes wide. "Kawaii!" Bianca chirped, patting his head. "It was really, really nice meeting you!" with that, Bianca strode off into the city, leaving a rather confused boy behind her.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

N, when he had first been approached by the excitable girl, had been confused. When she had begun chattering, a few sentences had stuck out—mainly about why she had approached him. However, he was still confused, even as they talked. Oh, he was intrigued—curious, even—about how she viewed the world. Why she wanted to be a Trainer. Her answer had confused him. _To see the world._

The girl, Bianca, was excitable and hyper. But…she was also honest. A bit flighty, but she was honest. Something N had not seen very often in humans. Maybe…? No.

When she had proposed the race, he had only truly agreed because Zorua had egged him on. But by the time they had reached Striaton City, N had felt a strangely light feeling filling up his chest. His heart had felt…light. Happy. It had only occurred to him after Bianca left that he had had…_fun._ He had had fun, racing her and simply meeting her. Was it like this for most people? This strange enjoyment of being around other humans?

N watched her vanish into the city, confusion and that happy feeling both tugging at his chest. Once more, he remembered her reason for being a Trainer—it had been unlike any he had ever heard.

"To see the world…?" N mumbled, staring upwards at the now purple, pink, yellow, and orange tinted sky. Her presence had been strangely akin to the two people he had met in Accumula. Not the one he had battled, Touko, but the other one—the boy. Strange, but uplifting and heartening.

"How very strange…" N trailed off, recalling the girl he had battled—Touko. Her presence was different, yet again, from the other two's. Not strange, despite his misgivings. Instead, it had felt like she was…familiar. Like they had met before. But they hadn't. Her presence had soothed his heart, like the soft lullabies that Anthea and Concordia had sung to him when he was little, but it had also stirred up doubts that he didn't want, nor need, to have. After all, he was protecting the Pokémon! It would be alright. Right?

N shook his head slowly, attempting to bury the confusion and worry and doubt and—just bury all of it. It hurt, to have so many conflicting thoughts. Zorua, from his position on the ground, glanced up at N worriedly. _"Are you alright?"_

N nodded slowly. "Fine," his voice was tinged with uncertainty. Zorua fidgeted, looking up at him carefully, analytically. _"Okay. I believe you. Now, come on! Let's go get some food!"_ Zorua yipped enthusiastically. N stared at his friend, even as he followed Zorua—who was walking away, dashing through Striaton neither caring about the stares or the whispers that followed him. _'Maybe he's bipolar. It would make sense,'_ N thought, watching the exuberant Pokémon. When they arrived in front of a red-roofed building with a Pokéball symbol on it, N looked exasperatedly at his friend.

"Really, Zorua?" said Pokémon looked up at him innocently. _"But they have really, really good food!"_

N, for all of his manners—which had been taught to him by Chichi-ue—could not resist the urge to facepalm and groan. Honestly. Why did _he_ get stuck with a bipolar _Zorua_?

The universe, for all of its beauty and elegance, must have something against him, was all that N could think of. Honestly…

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Touko grinned at the boy standing across from her, his Patrat _Knocked Out_. "Great battle!" she said cheerfully. The boy nodded, calling his Patrat back into its Pokéball. "Thanks! You did great too!' he replied.

Suddenly, a hand patted Touko's head. "Yup! You both did great, Imouto-chan!" Touya said teasingly, and Touko scowled. "Watashi wa chiisakunaidesu!" she snapped, barely keeping her scowl from turning into a smile. _(I am not small!)_

"Maa, maa, Imouto-chan! Ochitsuku!" Touya laughed, grinning broadly. "Nii-san!" Touko growled, flushing slightly in embarrassment. "Hai, watashi no kawaii Imouto?" Touko flushed a deeper red, and the boy across from her laughed in amusement at the siblings' antics. "Nii-san, oriru!" Touya complied laughingly, and the boy across from them introduced himself, still laughing helplessly. "Hajimemashite! W-watashi wa Takahashi Hibiki!" _(Oh dear, oh dear, Imouto-chan! Calm down!) (Nii-san!) (Yes, my cute little sister?) (Nii-san, get off!) (Nice to meet you! M-my name is Takahashi Hibiki!)_

"Hajimemashite! Dozou yoroshiku!" Touko and Touya chorused in reply. "Anyway, are you going to Striaton?" Hibiki asked, curiosity lacing his tone. "Yep!" Touya chirped. Hibiki nodded. "I'm actually from Accumula—I'm heading to Striaton too! But," he said, frowning suddenly, "I'm going to stay here for a while to train. I mean, if I can't beat another rookie Trainer, how am I going to beat the Striaton Gym?" _(Nice to meet you!)_

Touko nodded in understanding. "I'd feel the same," she agreed. "Anyway, I'm Touko!" Hibiki grinned at her. "Great! Good luck!" he said lightly before turning to look at her. "Hey, give me your Xtransciever!" Touko frowned. "Nani?" Hibiki looked slightly embarrassed. "I'll register my number in your Xtransciever so I can call you up and challenge you to another battle sometime!" he paused. "And you can register your number in mine! Here," he handed her his Xtransciever and Touko blinked at the color. In was a golden brown with the phrase "Number 1!" printed as part of the design above the screen.

"Oh, okay," Touko said, beginning to enter her number into Hibiki"s Xtransciever, labeling it under 'Touko'; Touya scowled at Hibiki saying, "It better not be for anything else…!" his voice was menacing, his brown eyes cold with threats should Hibiki have any ill intentions towards Touko. "Nii-san!" Touko complained, slapping his arm lightly as Hibiki gulped. "M-Mochiron, Touya-san," he stuttered. Touko frowned at Touya. "Don't break my new friend, Nii-san!" she rebuked him. Hibiki sputtered slightly, staring at Touko in shock.

"Anyway, let's get going, ne?" Touko chirped, retrieving her Xtransciever from Hibiki's grasp and giving him his own back. "You're done? Good," with that, the siblings trouped off, bantering in their sibling way. Not for the first (or last) time, Hibiki was grateful he didn't have any siblings…especially if they were as messed up as those two.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cheren was irritated. There was no other way to put it. He had arrived in Striaton, tired and irritated. And now, people all around him were chattering, causing his already painful headache to pulse even more so. He had lost the path, twice. And that, pathetic as it was, was only the start. Tree branches had whipped him painfully across his face, neck and torso; leaves had taken up residence in his hair; his glasses were, thankfully, unscratched, but incredibly dirty. In essence, his day had been very, very bad—Bad with a capital B.

Grouchily, he walked to the Pokémon Center. Once there, he walked in and asked Nurse Joy for a room, not even registering the fact that the Nurse Joy in Accumula had looked exactly the same as this one.

He flopped onto his bed, heaving a sigh. His headache would _not leave him alone_. He closed his eyes, blocking out the soft lamplight that lit the cozy room. The only truly good thing that had come out of that day was that Tepig and his recently caught Purrloin had gotten stronger from the battles they had had earlier in the day. According to the Town Map, there was not only a Pokémon Gym in the city, but the Trainer's School. He had been fascinated with the idea when he had first heard about it, a few weeks before he, Bianca, and White had left on their Journeys.

Groaning, he resolved to go visit…in the morning. Definitely not now. _So_ not right now.

Closing his eyes, he relaxed, attempting to empty his mind of all thoughts. It worked. Within ten minutes, he had fallen deeply asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, his headache was gone. He grimaced and rolled onto his stomach in an attempt to escape the bright sunlight, all the while thanking all of the Pokémon deities he knew. Finally he heaved himself up and out of bed, grunting irritably.

Grousing under his breath, he cleaned up and got ready for the day; he found that a hot shower did absolute wonders for incredibly sore muscles, not to mention his mood. _'Oww…my back hurts. I didn't think travelling would be so, well, painful.'_ Cheren thought to himself, wincing as his muscles complained at being stretched—even after the hot shower—as he pulled on his shirt.

Cheren pulled out a comb after slipping on his glasses, neatening out his hair. He glared at the cowlick that stuck up stubbornly from his scalp. "Grr…" he growled, trying to get it to lay flat. His father had impressed upon him that if he were going to be the Champion, he had to look the part. That meant taking care of his appearance. "Ugh! By Uxie…" Cheren mumbled, giving up on his fruitless venture.

After packing his small amount of possessions into his bag, he left the room, ready—if cranky—to face the day; his mood, of course, was ruined by a familiar giggling laugh. Cheren gritted his teeth, already thinking of ways to avoid the (at the moment) insufferable morning person known as one of his best friends: Bianca.

But, alas, it was not to be. "Cheren!" Bianca's voice rang out clearly in the early morning quiet. Other people—Trainers or otherwise—were in the dining area, and their attention was only drawn for a few moments before they realized that no, there was not going to be a Pokémon Battle this early in the morning, and yes, the two kids knew each other. As the onlookers returned to their breakfasts, Bianca captured Cheren's arm. "Come on! I've already gotten a table, and I've already asked for some pancakes, but I'm sure you can order something still! I think that Nurse Joy would really, really like it if you did! She seems to like cooking and mornings too!" Bianca rambled, and Cheren slowly attempted to block out the insufferable—to him—noise.

Cheren sat down, quite firmly across from Bianca; at least that way he wouldn't get hit by a stray limb or something, seeing as Bianca had a habit of gesticulating wildly as she spoke. "Hn," he grunted, and looked up as Nurse Joy came up with Bianca's pancakes. "Here are your pancakes! Oh," she turned to Cheren after placing the pancakes in front of Bianca. "Would you like something to eat?" Cheren nodded. "Onegai shimasu hai," he mumbled. _(Yes please,)_

Nurse Joy laughed. "Not a morning person, huh? Anyway, what can I get you?" Cheren contemplated for a moment, before deciding. "Kokumotsu wa, onegai," he muttered, and Bianca sighed at Nurse Joy's confused look. Apparently, she didn't speak the local secondary language—not impossible, but highly inconvenient for everyone involved, seeing as pretty much everywhere in Unova had a local secondary language—and hadn't understood anything past 'onegai', which meant 'please', and 'hai', which was a formal way of saying 'yes'. _(Cereal, please,)_

"He said 'Cereal, please', Nurse Joy," Bianca translated, before frowning at Cheren. Cheren didn't even notice, ignoring everything until he actually woke up for the day. "Oh! I'm sorry," Nurse Joy said apologetically. "Its fine," Bianca chirped easily.

"Anyway, your cereal will be right out!" Nurse Joy announced before moving off to help and bring food to the other people in the Center. Bianca turned her green gaze to Cheren, who shrugged it off. "Y'know, your habit of talking in Japanese in the mornings will come back and bite you someday," she warned uncharacteristically. "Hn," Cheren grunted, turning his attention to his approaching breakfast.

Once breakfast had passed—in not-wholly-uncomfortable fashion-Cheren's mood lightened as he felt the drowsiness and grumpiness that accompanied his mornings fade. "Better now?" Bianca teased, half-smiling, half-smirking. "Aa," Cheren murmured, feeling satisfied and full. "It's after nine in the morning and you're still hazy? You must be losing your touch, sukoshi tensai," her voice was light, and Cheren scowled half-playfully at her. "Don't call me that," he grumbled as he began to get ready to leave. "Call you what, sukoshi tensai?"

"That! My name is Cheren, not 'sukoshi tensai'!" Cheren snapped, still only half-playful. Bianca giggled as she skipped beside him. "So, any particular plans for today?" she asked sweetly. "I'm going to the Trainer's School," Cheren said firmly, before adding something on as an afterthought. "_Sukoshi bara_,"

Bianca flushed. "Hey!" Cheren smirked. "What?" he asked, playing innocent. Bianca pouted. "You're mean," she mumbled. "For what, sukoshi bara?" Bianca flushed again, before rising to the defensive. "Fine! If I'm sukoshi bara, then you'll be sukoshi tensai for the day!" Cheren flinched, staring at her with as much horror as he could physically muster on his face. "_No_," he said, aghast. "Oh, yes," Bianca purred, knowing she had him cornered. He hated being called _sukoshi tensai_ as much as she hated being called _sukoshi bara_.

"Hmph! Fine," Cheren muttered, turning away. Bianca stopped, and Cheren turned. "I'll see you at the Striaton Gym, 'kay? We can battle after we both get our first badge!" Cheren blinked before smirking confidently and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Of course," he said. "Great! See ya later!" Bianca said brightly before hurrying off.

'_So troublesome,'_ Cheren thought, staring after his excitable friend; he turned away, walking towards the Trainer's School. Before long he reached the doors and slipped inside easily. "Ah, welcome!"

A slightly raspy, seemingly aged sounding voice sounded from beside him. Cheren, understandably, jumped. "Ohoho! I'm sorry," the voice said, and Cheren stared at the owner of the voice. It was a cheerful looking old man wearing a suit and carrying a cane. "Who are you?" Cheren asked his mouth jumping ahead of his brain for once. He flushed instantly, realizing how rude he must have come across as. "I'm so—" he began, but was cut off by the man's voice. "Oh, it's quite alright," said the man, anticipating Cheren's apology. "I'm Daichi Koizumi, Principal of the Trainer's School. And you are?" Cheren relaxed slightly. "I'm Cheren Ó Faoláin," he said, introducing himself. "New Trainer then, hmm?" Daichi said lightly, smiling at Cheren. "Don't worry; it's only truly obvious to Trainers and former Trainers. You have the sort of movement that all Trainers have in the beginning. You'll get the 'walk' down eventually as you travel,"

Quite a bit of what Daichi had said went right over Cheren's head, and he immediately sought to correct it. "The 'walk'?" he asked interestedly. Daichi laughed. "Haven't you ever noticed that every experienced Trainer—from a Gym Leader to the Elite Four to the Champion and so on—have a sort of natural grace and confidence in their movements? Even the clumsiest of people can have the 'walk' is they've Journeyed long enough; even if they aren't as graceful as they seem."

Cheren nodded, absorbing the information before opening his mouth to ask another question. "Movement that all beginning Trainers have?" he queried. Daichi laughed.  
"Here," he said, motioning to a chair behind one of the school desks. "Sit. We can talk," Daichi pulled out the chair from behind the teacher's desk and sat in front of Cheren as he sat on the chair that Daichi had motioned to.

"Well, all of the new Trainers have this sort of uncertain look and stride to their movements…"

**/End.\**

**Was it alright?** **Did it make sense…? Anyway, it took me a ridiculously long time to finish this chapter. I mean, really Muse (my muse of inspiriation)? Nearly a month—and I'm still not happy with Touko/Touya's part. **

**Just to make this clear:**

**Hibiki and Daichi are minor characters that are OC's. They will not play a major part in the story, they're just there to fill in minor gaps that I've found myself with; they're also there for minor comedic relief. This will be the same with any other Trainers/others that I find need a name or original personality.**

**Translations:**

**Daichi—from Japanese **_**dai**_** meaning "large, great" and **_**chi**_** meaning "earth, land" or "wisdom, intellect". Anyone see the pun here?**

**Hibiki—means "echo, sound" in Japanese**

**Mochiron—means "of course" in Japanese**

**Sukoshi tensai—means "little genius" in Japanese. I used it as Cheren's nickname that was given to him by his mom, among others.**

**Sukoshi bara—means "little rose" in Japanese (well that or "little flower", I think). I used it as one of Bianca's nicknames given to her by her mom and dad.**

**Takahashi—Japanese surname; it's supposed to mean "high bridge".**

**Koizumi—Japanese surname; it's supposed to mean "little spring".**

**Ó Faoláin—Irish surname meaning "descendant of Faolán", an Irish name meaning "wolf". Pronunciation is "oo fay-o-lah-n" I think.**

**As for how I chose Cheren's last name, well there was no actual culture behind the name "Cheren" for the name generator I use. So…I kind of just took the name that was masculine in usage and looked to be close enough that one could imagine that "Cheren" could be derived from it…*looks down in shame* so…yeah. Cheren is now Irish. (Sorta)**

**Anyway, I'm pretty sure a few of the words I used are wrong, seeing as I used Google Translate, but then again, I'm not sure. Anyway, if I got something wrong, let me know! And please, if you speak the language, don't get offended or something—I'm only able to speak English with bits and pieces of French and Spanish as I took about a year of each a very long time ago! Please, please, please, anything I get wrong is out of ignorance, and I'm sorry! Just let me know and I'll correct it!**

**R & R—reviews are what help me write, you know! The more reviews I get, the better (and longer) chapters (may) become!**

**Ja ne, Minna-san!**

**~Happy Camper27 **


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